Joel M Bradshaw

7The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.–Proverbs 28

1. It almost seems impossible that Jesus didn’t have this proverb on his mind when he gave his famous parable about the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.
2. In that parable, a son asked for his inheritance and then wasted the money with partiers. He hit rock bottom and humbly returned home. The father had been looking for his lost son, and so when he saw him coming, he ran to that son and welcomed him home.
3. The son who lived profligately clearly brought shame to his father. The proverb proved right.
4. But there was hope for that son. In his lowest state, he repented. He turned from himself and went back to the father. He had no expectations of closeness, and simply placed himself at his father’s mercy. He had no idea the father was going to respond with grace.
5. The world thinks Christians are self-righteous hypocrites. And there are some indeed who are. But really, we are people who have been broken by our sinful choices, repented from them, and turned to the only hope of salvation we have, Jesus. Each one of us is the Prodigal Son.
6. The same son who once brought great shame to the father also brought him great joy. That is how God views prodigals like you and me repenting and turning our lives back to Him.
7. So how do you respond to this? I encourage you to see yourself as the famous Prodigal Son. My life changed when I faced my rock-bottom state and turned to Jesus in repentance. I now live a changed life with many years of sobriety. How about yours?–JMB