Date: Feb 26, 2008
Topic: Christian Living/Situational

What Makes a Prodigal?

Do you remember all those anti-drug public service announcements on TV and radio a few years ago? The announcer would declare, "No one ever says, 'I want to be a junkie when I grow up'"? Similarly, the young man in Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son probably never would have announced, "I want to be a prodigal when I grow up."

And Christians don't want to be prodigals today. Yet many believers become prodigals. All it takes is one bad choice. Let's look at what God's Word says about prodigals and how we can avoid that dark path.

What Does the Bible Say

Luke 15 is where we read the story of the prodigal son. "And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me'" (15:12, ESV). You can't be a prodigal and wander away if you have nothing to wander away from. Prodigals today are people who have experienced the joy of a relationship with God at some point in their lives.

The next thing we notice about prodigals comes in the next verse. "Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living" (Luke 15:13, ESV). As long as there's sin in this world, it will always feel easier to live selfishly than under God's command. Prodigals today decide they don't want to try. They live for themselves and waste their lives on their own pursuits.

Third, prodigals always experience the consequences of their choices (Luke 15:14-16). Only God can truly sustain and provide for us and sooner or later the prodigal will run dry.

Finally, we see what really makes a prodigal a prodigal: he comes back. "But when he came to himself, he said,... 'I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you."'" (Luke 15:17-18, ESV). At his lowest, the prodigal repented of his sin and decided to go back home.

My Thoughts

As you read Luke 15:12-24, think about the following questions.
1. What could the young man have done to avoid being a prodigal in the first place?
2. Why is important that the young man confessed his sin against heaven first?
3. Have you, or someone you know, been a prodigal? What brought you back?

Is there anyone in your life who needs to "come back home"? Take some time to pray for him or her.

My Part

The key to avoiding becoming a prodigal is to keep your mind focused on what's really important. The young man in the parable went wrong when he started thinking about himself as most important. If you and I can keep our eyes focused on Jesus, it will be that much harder to lure us away into selfish pursuits.