Luke 15:11-12: Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.” “ Give me”. Do those two words grab you like they grab me? They’ve even been assigned their own special slang version: “gimme”. There is more than meets the eye when we see these words in print in this passage. My husband Bill and his father spent time over the past several years building a Shelby Cobra replica from the ground up. It is an amazingly beautiful piece of machinery, though a little too high on the noise scale for my taste. For my two sons, ages 24 and 20.….well let’s just say I thought we left drooling back with the pacifiers and diapers! Just mention the Cobra and their faces light up! One day my youngest son said to my husband, “Dad, when you die, do I get the Cobra?" Though it was an innocent remark, no way intended to wish for his Dad’s passing in order to inherit his stuff, it still smarted a little. I think it was a lot more painful for the father in Luke 15. In that culture, the original listeners would probably have gasped at such a request. It was a sign of deep disrespect. To ask this while the father was still living was the same as saying “I wish you were dead now”. The younger son was saying, “I want your things, not you.” On the surface it is easy to think harshly about where this son’s heart is when he makes this request. But on further examination, if I allow it, I see myself in my walk with God. How often I ask Him for the things I want from a physical perspective without fully giving myself to Him spiritually. How many of my prayers are centered on the physical aspects of life rather than the spiritual? Jesus already died, and the inheritance is mine. Do my gimmes get in the way of my seeing the real inheritance God has prepared for me in heaven? Do I strive to “have it all” now? Does God sometimes think that I want His things and not Him? Do I live like I know the best is yet to come? The best is not more things, it’s more God! It’s being in his presence always. Now that is a “gimme” I want to claim!
Julie Hallman
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What stood out for me today was how the younger son squandered his wealth in wild living. One definition of squander is to use wastefully. While my life could hardly be called wild living these days, I have to ask myself what am I squandering...wasting...even now? Do I use my time and money well? Do I take advantage of time alone with God or in fellowship with my church family? Do I share the hope I have in Jesus with others who need it? Is there any area of my life where I am "squandering" the wealth I have in Jesus Christ? I pray today that God will show me any wastefulness in my life and how to put it to better use.
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