"And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him back safe and sound' But he was angry and refused to go in." Luke 15:27-28 ESV
This is from one of the most familiar stories in all of the Bible, the parable of the Prodigal Son. It tells of a father that has two sons. One day the younger son asks his father for his part of his estate on the spot. Basically he tells his daddy that in his eyes he is dead and that he wants out. Most of the time, the younger son gets top billing when this story is told. He goes out, makes a complete mess of his life, then comes to his senses when he hits rock bottom and only then returns home.
In my mind, equally significant is the father's response when the younger son returns, it shows us a picture of God's response to you and I when we come back to him. The father is filled with compassion for his lost child. He shows grace and patience that is uncommon - especially in this situation.
I always wonder about the older brother. I find myself asking was his anger justified? Sometimes I wonder if he might have been partially responsible for his little brother's rebellion. No one was in a better position than the older brother to mentor his younger sibling. Where was his leadership? I don't know if the older brother reinforced the teachings of his father and his ideals or if he tried to counsel him about his decisions. I often think to myself and wonder what this story might have been like had he really made an effort to take him under his wing and mentor him a little bit.
I say this with all seriousness, father's are not the only mentors in a child's life. But it isn't up to teachers, coaches, or supervisors to always be responsible and take the lead in someone's life. Sometimes it falls to a older sibling because they have the best position to make a lasting impact. All of us can fill that role of mentor in someone's life from time to time. We can all step up and offer leadership. We can all nurture lives of value and create a lineage of people whose lives we have positively affected.
Too often we sit idly by and wait for someone else to step up, someone of authority to take the lead. My friend, if we are saved and born again we have that authority. We are called to make disciples and lead people in the way of life. We simply have to act on it.
My prayer for myself and for you today is that we have a the attitude that we will be the right kind of big brother to those that are in our lives. When we touch peoples lives in the right way we can increase the amount of leaders exponentially and add more to the Kingdom.
This is from one of the most familiar stories in all of the Bible, the parable of the Prodigal Son. It tells of a father that has two sons. One day the younger son asks his father for his part of his estate on the spot. Basically he tells his daddy that in his eyes he is dead and that he wants out. Most of the time, the younger son gets top billing when this story is told. He goes out, makes a complete mess of his life, then comes to his senses when he hits rock bottom and only then returns home.
In my mind, equally significant is the father's response when the younger son returns, it shows us a picture of God's response to you and I when we come back to him. The father is filled with compassion for his lost child. He shows grace and patience that is uncommon - especially in this situation.
I always wonder about the older brother. I find myself asking was his anger justified? Sometimes I wonder if he might have been partially responsible for his little brother's rebellion. No one was in a better position than the older brother to mentor his younger sibling. Where was his leadership? I don't know if the older brother reinforced the teachings of his father and his ideals or if he tried to counsel him about his decisions. I often think to myself and wonder what this story might have been like had he really made an effort to take him under his wing and mentor him a little bit.
I say this with all seriousness, father's are not the only mentors in a child's life. But it isn't up to teachers, coaches, or supervisors to always be responsible and take the lead in someone's life. Sometimes it falls to a older sibling because they have the best position to make a lasting impact. All of us can fill that role of mentor in someone's life from time to time. We can all step up and offer leadership. We can all nurture lives of value and create a lineage of people whose lives we have positively affected.
Too often we sit idly by and wait for someone else to step up, someone of authority to take the lead. My friend, if we are saved and born again we have that authority. We are called to make disciples and lead people in the way of life. We simply have to act on it.
My prayer for myself and for you today is that we have a the attitude that we will be the right kind of big brother to those that are in our lives. When we touch peoples lives in the right way we can increase the amount of leaders exponentially and add more to the Kingdom.
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