“Everything I Have Is Yours”

These are the words of the father to the eldest son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15:11-32.  In the parable the younger son asks for his inheritance and goes to a distant land where he squanders his inheritance on loose living.  He comes to his senses and decides to return home.  His father welcomes him home and has a feast to celebrate his return.

When the elder son finds out, he is resentful and refuses to join in the welcoming festivities.  He complains to the father that he has always been obedient, but the father has never given him even a young goat to share with his friends.  The father responds that the elder son is always with him and that everything the father has is his.   

The parable is a beautiful illustration of God’s love for both sons.  The loving forgiveness for the younger repentant son is obvious.  The love for the elder son is more subtle.  Some of us may have experienced times in our lives, when like the elder son, we have experienced jealousy or resentment of the attention and forgiveness someone has received whom we deem unworthy.      

We brood, we fume, we get ourselves all worked, but God says to us, “My son, my daughter, you are here with me every day, and I am always with you.  Everything I have is yours – my grace, my love, my forgiveness, my healing, my gifts of the Holy Spirit, my promise of eternal life.  All of these are mine which I share freely with you.  Accept my love and the grace of these gifts.  Accept my invitation to join in the family celebration of reconciliation!

Over the years, I have quietly struggled with being judgmental and seeking recognition. Like the older son, these sins set up barriers in me to experience the fullness of the Father’s love and grace.  Not that the Father withholds his love and grace from me, but that these actions interfere with me being able to fully experience his love and grace.   

Like the older son, do you set up barriers to experience all that the Father has for you? 

In all four Gospel accounts of the Last Supper, Jesus announces that one of the disciples will betray him.  Luke specifically says that Satan entered Judas and then conspired with the chief priests to arrange for Jesus’ arrest.

“Then Satan entered into Judas, the one surnamed Iscariot, who was counted among the twelve, and he went to the chief priests and the temple guards to discuss a plan for handing him over to them.” (Luke 22:3-4)

As one of the disciples, Judas would have traveled with Jesus, listened to his teachings, and seen him perform numerous miracles. What caused him to want to betray Jesus?  Was he a loyal disciple one moment and then suddenly a betrayer?  What caused Satan to enter him?  The Gospel of John suggests that he was a thief and, as keeper of the money, regularly helped himself to it. (John 12:6)

Both Satan and evil are real.  They are spiritual realities just like the Holy Spirit.  While we may not be able to see Satan physically, we can see the effects of his presence, just as we can with the Holy Spirit.  St. Paul describes the contrast.  With Satan and evil, he says we see “immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.”  With the Holy Spirit we see “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:19-23)

What makes us vulnerable to Satan’s attack?  Peter says, “Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8)    Like all predators, Satan attacks our weaknesses, bad habits and self-indulgences, inclining us to serve first ourselves instead of others.  We relate to St. Paul’s statement, “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.” (Rom. 7:19)  Satan’s goal is to separate us from God.

The antidote to Satan is accepting Jesus’ offer to dwell in us through the Holy Spirit and embracing his example of death to self – the cross.  This is impossible for us without God’s presence and grace.  But as Jesus says, “With God all things are possible.” (Mt. 19:26)  Many years ago, I met Jesus one evening and asked him to take the present sin and disorder in my life, and he did!  I accepted his offer to dwell in me.  It was truly a life-changing moment.

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:7)  Sin begets more sin.  Grace begets more grace.

What are the ways Satan pulls you away from God?

Following a social engagement with friends, my wife commented that I had been a bit harsh with one person in connection with a certain political discussion.  I protested, claiming to have been quite reasonable in my comments.  It took me a while to acknowledge that what counted was not my perception, but the perception of the person with whom I was having the discussion.  

Later, I was reminded of the words of Jesus to the disciples at the Last Supper when he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.  Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, ‘Surely it is not I, Lord?’” (Matthew 26:21-22) Each of them protested, yet all of them abandoned Jesus at the time of his arrest; and, of course, we are familiar with Peter later denying three times that he knew Jesus.

Our tendency is to resist acknowledging our sin or wrongdoing.  Even when we acknowledge it, we often make excuses or rationalize our conduct.  We resist correction and then compound our resistance by getting angry with the person who is trying to help us.

This occurs in varying ways.  It can be a job evaluation that indicates we are not doing our best.  Sometimes it shows up in an argument with a family member or friend.  We may dismiss our use of negative humor or participating in gossip.  We may go along with a business practice of questionable integrity so as not to rock the boat.

No matter how long we have been walking with the Lord, we are still capable of betraying Christ’s presence in us, along with his mercy and kindness.  We can deny our wrongdoing, or acknowledge it, seek forgiveness and pray for greater faithfulness.  Proverbs 12:1 may get it right when it says, “He who hates correction is stupid.” (NIV)   

Do I humble myself and acknowledge when I do something wrong, or do I say, “Surely, not I, Lord?”     

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)

This verse is part of several statements the Apostle Paul makes in encouraging us how to relate to friends and other people in our lives.    

Over the past two months we have had four friends who have died. Two were neighbors, and two were longstanding personal friends of more than forty years. 

One neighbor was in the prime of her life having endured a 10-year battle with cancer.  She was a delightful person, always focusing on others rather than herself.  The other neighbor was in her nineties but suffered from extreme rheumatoid arthritis for many years.  She too was other focused always turning the conversation to how you and your family were doing. 

The other two were long-time personal friends.  One of them had a family with children similar in age to our children.  His wife was a good friend of my wife.  We supported each other in good times and tough times.  The other person I worked with in various ministries at our church over a forty-year period. 

With each death, we experienced their family’s sorrow, but we also rejoiced with them in knowing that their loved ones were with the Lord in heaven in furtherance of Jesus’s many promises.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16) 

We weep with our friends as they weep, we rejoice with them as they rejoice, knowing that their loved ones are with the Lord.