Devotion:
Read Luke 15:25-32.
Have you ever gotten irritated when someone is great at looking like a good person, while others seem to beam their badness from their forehead and automatically get the label of “sinner”. My grandma used to say some types of beauty are only skin deep. That could also be said of goodness, certain kinds of it are only skin deep. The older son in this story is the good one from the start. He plays by the rules and looks a lot different than the younger and rebellious brother. When the younger son turns his life around and repents, we find out just how begrudging the good older brother was and how mad he became when the repentant sinner came home. He was the son who had obeyed and stayed home working. The father seeks him out, but he refuses to come join the party. It seems ironic that the son who stayed home ends up more distant from the father than the son who ran away and squandered the family money. The parable for us is when we are angry with God, and He pursues us, are we going to remain distant or are we going to rejoice and happily go back toward Him?
Personal Worship Option:
Dear God, help us be grateful when you seek each and every one of us as your valued child. Thank you for your endless love for us, even when we mess up. Amen.
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