In Like 15:11-32 Jesus tells the parable of the Prodigal Son. This parable isn’t that difficult to understand. It actually parallels the teachings found in the book of Job. And just exactly what is that, you may ask. Well, actually, the point of both is that God rewards those who choose to live. Basically, Job had no choice but to live. In all his pain and suffering, he didn’t understand why God was punishing him. Well, God was teaching him a lesson. When we choose to live no matter what circumstances there are in life that would give us reason to give up hope, we are NOT to lose hope. God rewards those who choose to live no matter how dire life circumstances may be.
This is the lesson of the Prodigal Son: Choose Life. This parable has had a number of interpretations with some believing that the son who stayed at home represented in some ways the Pharisees who never left God. But they took everything they had for granted and that Jesus is the Prodigal who comes to His heavenly father. Then the party is really for the One who actually did what He had to do as Savior and God rewards Him. And there are variations of this theme in some form or another. Actually, Jesus had no intention of making any of His parables very complicated. The lesson of the Prodigal Son teaches us that no matter how dire we make our own lives, we have no choice but to live. And when we choose to live, God rewards us for having chosen life.
It’s just that it’s human to lose patience with God, with life, and even with ourselves and sometimes taking our own lives seem to be the only way out. We become the Prodigal Son when we reach the point where there is no point in living. But God rewards those who choose life, just as He rewarded Job with more than he ever had before when Job chose to choose life. God rewards those who choose to live no matter how dire life’s circumstances might be. So, the point of living is to do no harm either to oneself or to others and don’t allow anyone to give any cause or do anything to cause others to do harm to them. That is as simple as we can make it. Very simply put, no matter how dire things might be do no harm and give no reason for anyone else to do harm. If one chooses life, God rewards those who choose life. We have no choice but to live and that is the point. Peace,
Brother Ralphie
For the Angels of Life Institute
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