Part 1

My mother has many witty sayings, but the one that applies to this blog post is, “You’re never too old for your wants to hurt you.” Now that I’m much older, I believe I know what she meant.

Sometimes in life, we want things that look good but are not necessarily for our good. You know like that pretty car you always wanted that ended up costing you more problems than the old clunker you had or that new job you landed that pays a lot more money but has a lot more headaches, that credit card you always wanted you finally qualified for only to be in more debt now than before you got the card, or that man/woman you thought you just had to be with only to find out that the relationship you’re in you are in by yourself? Or perhaps you’ve been itching to leave home, and now that you’re old enough, you left only to find out you wish you’d stayed there a little longer to be financially prepared for the move?

That’s probably how the Prodigal son felt when he left home and squandered all of the money he had because his “wants” exceeded wisdom. Let’s take a closer look...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. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.” (Luke 15:11-13 NKJV)

Instead of waiting until it was time for him to receive the portion of his father’s inheritance, the younger son became impatient and anxious. We must remember that sometimes in our anxiousness, we are not mature enough to handle such a responsibility because our spirit is not settled enough to handle the weight of wealth or an extraordinary financial blessing. That’s why the scriptures teach us, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke 16:10-12 NKJV)

That riotous living the younger son was unaccustomed to in the world led him into ruin.

But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he joined himself to a citizen of that country who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. (Luke 15:15-16 NKJV) That riotous living the younger son was unaccustomed to in the world led him into ruin. He found himself in a place of humility and hunger, and what the swine were eating looked more appealing by the minute. Is it not written, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9 NKJV)

Thank you so much for your continued readership and support. Stay tuned for the conclusion next week…Blessings and Peace!

© Rhema International 2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rhema International.