In Luke 15:18-19 I read, “I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.'" (NLT)
The closer I get to God, the more he will transform my life.
Throughout Scripture, we see transformed lives. When Isaiah got close to God, he was transformed from being depressed to standing courageously. When Paul finally met Jesus Christ face to face, he was radically transformed from a persecutor of Christians to spreading Christianity throughout the Roman world. And as Moses grew closer to God, he transformed from a privileged son of Pharaoh to a humble man leading God’s people out of Egypt.
Jesus told a story about transformation, the story of the prodigal son. It’s a story of spiritual transformation, about getting close to God after wandering away.
Here’s the short version of the story. A young man takes his inheritance and wastes it on careless living. Then, when things go from bad to worse, he finally says, “I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant’” (Luke 15:18-19 NLT).
The prodigal son reminds me of my tendency to wander away from the Father who made me and loves me. But more than that, his story reminds me of God’s faithfulness, forgiveness, and compassion. When the son returned home, his father saw him from a distance and “ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20 NLT).
This is how spiritual transformation begins. The moment I say, “God, I’m tired of living the way I’ve been living,” he runs out to meet me. He takes the initiative. He even celebrates, like the father did with his prodigal son: “Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him . . . We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life” (Luke 15:22-24 NLT).
I may be closer to God than I’ve ever been before. Or maybe I’m feeling like the prodigal son, who wandered away and needs to renew a relationship with God. No matter where I am, near or far, I can get even closer to God and experience transformation in my life.
The Heavenly Father is always ready to deepen his relationship with me, ready to greet me with open arms, and ready to bring transformation into my life.
In summary, The closer I get to God, the more he will transform my life. Jesus told a story about transformation, the story of the prodigal son. It’s a story of spiritual transformation, about getting close to God after wandering away. A young man takes his inheritance and wastes it on careless living. Then, when things go from bad to worse, he finally says, “I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant’”. The prodigal son reminds me of my own tendency to wander away from the Father who made me and loves me. The story also reminds me of God’s faithfulness, forgiveness, and compassion. This is how spiritual transformation begins. The moment I say, “God, I’m tired of living the way I’ve been living,” he runs out to meet me. He takes the initiative. He even celebrates. Am I being like the prodigal son, who wandered away and needs to renew a relationship with God. No matter where I am, near or far, I can get even closer to God and experience transformation in my life. The Heavenly Father is always ready to deepen his relationship with me, ready to greet me with open arms, and ready to bring transformation into my life.
The younger son, like many who are rebellious and immature, wanted to be free to live as he pleased, and he had to hit bottom before he came to his senses. It often takes great sorrow and tragedy to cause people to look to the only one who can help them, Jesus. Am I trying to live my life my own way, selfishly pushing aside any responsibility or commitment that gets in my way? I need to stop and look before I hit bottom. In this story, the father watched and waited. He was dealing with a human being with a will of his own, but he was ready to greet his son if he returned. In the same way, God's love is constant and patient and welcoming. He will search for us and give us opportunities to respond, but he will not force us to come to him. Like the father in this story, God waits patiently for us to come to our senses. In these passages, the son left out of selfishness. God's great love reaches out and finds sinners no matter why or how they got lost.
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