"A man had two
sons. The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now
before you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A
few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a
distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time
his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.
He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields
to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was
feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. When he
finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired
servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!" (Then
verse >) 20 "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still
a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he
ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." (Luke 15:11-17 & 20
NLT)
Mistakes, failures,
sin. We've all faced them. At one time
or another, we lived in the pig-sty of life. Our sin has ravaged the best of us
and left us broken and spiritually penniless, if not economically. How many mothers
have prayed for wayward sons and daughters? How many families have fasted and
prayed for erring family members? How many fathers have looked down the road
trying to catch a glimpse of his child returning home?
Bill was one of
those lost sons. The alcohol demon destroyed him. For years, his family prayed
for his deliverance. And finally, they got the news Bill was trying to get
help. He did get free, rebuilt his life, and became a successful investment adviser. Bill started serving others and his transformation was absolutely
amazing. There is no other word for it: AMAZING!
Several of his
family members became his clients. They concluded this was a positive way to
help Bill stay employed and off the sauce. Then, suddenly, Bill was diagnosed
with cancer and died. And his family mourned his loss, yet Bill had left a
surprise for those who had helped him.
After Bill's
funeral, his company vice-president called the family members who were
investment clients and asked them to come to his office to settle their
accounts. Sitting quietly in his office with them he said, "You might want
to transfer your accounts to another adviser of your choice, but understand
that you can't expect what Bill was doing to continue."
"What do you
mean?" they asked. The investment officer said, "Bill was putting all
his commissions and adviser fees back into your accounts . . . and that is
unheard of in this business." Now friends, that is what Jesus does for you
and me. He takes away all our sins and puts all his righteousness into our
eternity accounts. And that's unheard of anywhere else . . .
Let's worship our
amazing God today!
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