DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: JULY 2 LESSONS FROM PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON (2) SCRIPTURE: LUKE 15: 14 – 15; Prov. 3: 5

Yesterday’s devotional introduced the Parable of the Prodigal Son. He earned the name “Prodigal Son” because he wasted all his belongings recklessly and extravagantly. Other Bible versions use Parable of the Lost Son. We heard how he asked the father for his own share of the father’s wealth, received it and walked away to another country. On getting there, he wasted everything on his wayward friends. What we were not told yesterday is that great famine visited the country and the young boy became poor. He suffered severely till he opted to work in a piggery of one man. This could be the worst debased employment at the time. The Bible said this boy at times, started desiring to eat the foods meant for the pigs. What a lost destiny! Today’s devotional kick starts ways the young boy ruined his destiny for a while: –

*He became impatient:* Through exhibition of impatient he puts his glorious destiny on line. Through impatience, the boy demanded for his share of the father’s properties and wealth. If he had waited for the proper time, he would have been given higher shares. Many human beings have lost properties, money and lives to impatience. Impatience means inability to wait for a good time things could have been done. Men and women have gone into wrong marriages through impatience. Biblically speaking, patience which is interpreted as endurance sometimes is gold. Through patience we can obtain hope and inherit God’s promises (Rom. 15: 4). As Christians, we are to practice godly patience which involves keeping good attitude while waiting. An unknown author said: “Patience is not ability to wait, but the ability to keep good attitude while waiting.” Because of impatience, this boy had years of suffering and agony. He lost his peace then. Greek proverb says that: “One minute of patience, ten years of peace.”

He worked on False self-confidence: False self-confidence means believing in yourself without a lot of actual evidence that this belief is valid. This young boy believed he had come of age to live alone when he had never actually proved his self-reliance at home. False self-confidence always gives us false impression that we can do it all alone. It tells us we can survive without anybody’s assistance. The Bible warns against trusting on oneself or on your own understanding (Prov. 3: 5). Those who go about with false self-confidence create more problems for themselves because they usually ended up in shame by falling below what they claim they are. This young man, through false self-confidence told his father he could do it alone. He made his wayward friends believed he had money and wealth that could never finish. But he reaped shame at the end.

PRAYER:

Pray to God to supply you with genuine spirit of patience that can make you wait in good attitude till your time comes in the name of Jesus Christ. Pray against false self-confident spirit in your life in Jesus name.

bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch