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Picture Yourself: What would your life look like if you got everything you wanted?

Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the property.’ So the father divided the property between his two sons. Then the younger son gathered up all that was his and traveled far away to another country. There he wasted his money in foolish living.

Luke 15:11-13

In the movie, Blank Check (1994), the main character (Preston) forges a 1 million dollar check and spends the money doing as many fun and expensive things as he possibly can. He has a blast while doing it and makes every viewer absolutely jealous because of his unbelievable luck in finding the check.

If you found a blank check with a signature and everything, how much money would you write down? Would you spend it right away or would you invest?

Lose Yourself: You get lost if all you think about is yourself.

After he had spent everything, a time came when there was no food anywhere in the country, and the son was poor and hungry. So he got a job with one of the citizens there who sent the son into the fields to feed pigs. The son was so hungry that he wanted to eat the pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

Luke 15:14-16

This is the essence of being lost. When you want so bad to eat pig food, but you’re denied it.
In Blank Check, Preston ends up being followed by the FBI and 3 others who want to harm him and get the money that he had been spending back.

What’s a time in your life when you were utterly helpless? When you needed a helping hand but no one was there to help?

Find Yourself: The only way to find yourself is to go to God

So the son left and went to his father. “While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him and hugged and kissed him. The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get our fat calf and kill it so we can have a feast and celebrate. My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:20-24

When the son finally came to his senses, he realized how much his father had loved him and cared for him, so he went back home expecting the worst, but his father threw a party for him instead! The father in this passage is a metaphor of God’s unfailing, loving qualities.

When have you thought of God as unforgiving after you’ve done something deliberately sinful? Did you realize that God’s love is unconditional?

This passage of scripture is amazing because it captures how much God is willing to love and forgive us, even when we’ve treated him with extreme selfishness and disloyalty. The key is returning to him with a humble attitude. No matter what we’ve done or how we’ve treated him, God can’t wait to be close to us and will meet us more than halfway when we choose to go to him.

Written by

Bay Area Christian Church

This was created by a member of the Bay Area Christian Church team.