Lost and Found – Part 5 — A ‘Time With God’ Devotion

Subscribe to the ‘Time With God’ Podcast

Transcript

I’m here to open God’s word, the Bible with you, and just make a difference in your day by taking some time with God together. It’s important that that is what this time is to you. You’re not just listening, you’re not just saying, oh, that’s interesting. The Bible says that, but really, you open up your heart to God Himself and say, God, do you have something to say to me today? Because usually He does.

And your life is better for listening to Him.

We’re talking this week about an encounter Jesus had with the Pharisees who didn’t like Him spending so much time with sinful people, not only talking to them, but receiving them, accepting them, eating with them, hanging out with them.

They didn’t like it that Jesus was doing that. Good people shouldn’t spend time with that kind of person, they said, and Jesus said, no, that’s so wrong. That’s exactly the kind of person I need to be spending time with because I have to help these people find God.

And in our own lives there’s people all around us just like there were people around Jesus who really need God in their lives. God has made such a difference in our life. Ah, I can’t even imagine facing the issues and stresses and pressures of life without God in my life. I can’t imagine trying to figure out something that would be worth living for if I didn’t have God to live for in my life. People need God.

And we need to help them find Him.

Jesus tells 3 stories to make that point. The one we looked at yesterday, is this beautiful story we call it the Prodigal Son – about that son who really insulted his father and asked for his inheritance while his father was still alive. The father gave it to him, and he went off and just wasted it all and ruined it. His older brother stayed at home and kept on working for his father.

Hope 103.2 is proudly supported by

When that younger son ran out of money, his life became desperate, and he said, Man, I was so wrong to leave my father, and he comes back. He asks his father for forgiveness. His father totally forgives him and restores him and calls all his servants together and says, ‘kill the fattened calf, man. We’re going to have a massive party and celebrate this son of mine who I thought he was dead and he’s alive, and he was lost and has been found, and it’s as they began to celebrate. Verse 25 of Luke 15 says, now the man’s older son who had stayed at home was in the field. Well, what was he doing in the field? He was working for his dad.

And he knocked off and came home, and as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

He summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be, and the servant said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.

But he became angry and was not willing to go in. His father came out and began pleading with him.

But he answered and said to his father, Look, for so many years I’ve been serving you, and I’ve never neglected a command of yours. And yet you’ve never given me even a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.

The father said to him, son, you’ve always been with me. All that is mine is yours now. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live and was lost and has been found.

You think about that older brother.

He had been faithfully working for his dad. He says, I’ve never neglected a command of yours. You know, the fact is you can be a committed Christian, someone who is working hard to live for God in your life and not do things you shouldn’t do and still grieve the heart of God.

Just like that older brother did, if you miss the thing that concerns God the most.

People around you who God is concerned about, that brother knew his father’s concern was for the other brother. He never went looking for that brother. He never shared his father’s concern, and he brought grief to his father’s heart.

Be careful that you don’t do the same thing. Don’t ignore the people around you who God cares so much about. Get into their lives. Don’t just be there. Get into their lives. Talk to them about the real issues of life. Help them find God.

I’m John North.