A deep longing in the heart Part 6
Deion Sanders wins the Super Bowl. Later that week he buys a $275,000 Lamborghini to celebrate, yet he is still not happy. Here is what he says in his testimony, "I hadn't even driven a mile before I realized, No, Thats not it. Thats not what I'm looking for. Its got to be something else, I'm so hungry."
Deion then goes on to share that he knew the Lord was calling him. He tried running from God. He tried everything, parties, women, buying expensive things. But he had no peace, no joy just emptiness inside. His conclusion was, " I could see that nothing could possibly satisfy the hunger that was deep inside of me." Deion then made a decision to follow Christ.
Doesn't this sound like the prodigal son. In Luke 15:15 we see the son in great need. He went and hired himself out and he ended up going to feed pigs. This was the ultimate low for a Jew. To go and work with the worst of the unclean animals. Isn't this human nature to turn to many other things before returning to the Father. I think we all know people who have tried everything they can think of before heading home.
Luke 15:16 says that "the prodigal had a longing in his stomach to eat the pods that pigs were given but no one gave him anything." I think the son was hungry, but not just for physical food. I believe that he had a hunger deep inside of him. The reality was that even if he could have eaten a couple of pods it would have been a temporary fix. The "bandaid over the bullet hole." He would not have been satisfied. There was to be only one answer that would work. Return home to the Father.
The more I work with people I see that they try to fill that empty, lonely place in their lives with things other than God. We could all make a list of some of those things. I feel if people really were to be open and talk about that deep hunger that is within, their needs would include some of the following: love, joy, peace, hope and forgiveness.
Let us continue to try and understand the heart of the prodigal and help the prodigals to make their way home. They will receive, love, joy, peace, hope and forgiveness from the heavenly father. Will they receive it from us or will they feel condemnation?
Deion then goes on to share that he knew the Lord was calling him. He tried running from God. He tried everything, parties, women, buying expensive things. But he had no peace, no joy just emptiness inside. His conclusion was, " I could see that nothing could possibly satisfy the hunger that was deep inside of me." Deion then made a decision to follow Christ.
Doesn't this sound like the prodigal son. In Luke 15:15 we see the son in great need. He went and hired himself out and he ended up going to feed pigs. This was the ultimate low for a Jew. To go and work with the worst of the unclean animals. Isn't this human nature to turn to many other things before returning to the Father. I think we all know people who have tried everything they can think of before heading home.
Luke 15:16 says that "the prodigal had a longing in his stomach to eat the pods that pigs were given but no one gave him anything." I think the son was hungry, but not just for physical food. I believe that he had a hunger deep inside of him. The reality was that even if he could have eaten a couple of pods it would have been a temporary fix. The "bandaid over the bullet hole." He would not have been satisfied. There was to be only one answer that would work. Return home to the Father.
The more I work with people I see that they try to fill that empty, lonely place in their lives with things other than God. We could all make a list of some of those things. I feel if people really were to be open and talk about that deep hunger that is within, their needs would include some of the following: love, joy, peace, hope and forgiveness.
Let us continue to try and understand the heart of the prodigal and help the prodigals to make their way home. They will receive, love, joy, peace, hope and forgiveness from the heavenly father. Will they receive it from us or will they feel condemnation?
posted by s.d.w. at 6:21 AM
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