REAL
PROSPERITY
BY MARILYN CONRAD
Luke
15:11-32 NIV: Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.
The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the
estate.' So he divided his property between them. Not long after that,
the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country
and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent
everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he
began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of
that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to
fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one
gave him anything.
“When
he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men
have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out
and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against
heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son;
make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his
father.
“But
while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled
with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him
and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against
heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'
But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and
put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.
For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is
found.' So they began to celebrate.
“Meanwhile,
the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard
music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what
was going on. 'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father
has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'
"The
older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went
out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, 'Look! All these
years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet
you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my
friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property
with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'
"'My
son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have
is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of
yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is
found.'"
Someone
has said that real prosperity is simply being in control—whether it
be emotionally, spiritually or financially.
The
father in the parable of the prodigal son was a prosperous man, in
control of his own emotions. He was also in control spiritually. James
3:16 tells us that where there is envy and strife, there is confusion
and every evil work. This father stayed out of strife with his son and
agreed to give him his inheritance. He did not put demands on his son
or manipulate him. He could have said, “When you bring home all
A’s, I’ll give you your inheritance,” or “When you graduate
from college…,” or “When you are 21…,” or “When you make
something out of yourself….” Instead, the father gave the son what
was his.
Verse
13 says that the son went to a distant land and there wasted all his
money on parties and prostitutes. Many mates also seem to follow this
pattern and soon find themselves in great financial difficulty.
NOT
ALONE
Verse
15 reveals that the son joined himself to a citizen of that country.
Our mates often join themselves to others in non-covenant marriages or
continue to have affairs. They cannot bear to be alone and must always
have someone with them. Job 33:14-18 is a good scripture to pray over
our mates at night when they are asleep and God can minister to their
spirits. “For God speaks again and again, in dreams, in visions
of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they lie on their beds.
He opens their ears in times like that, and gives them wisdom and
instruction, causing them to change their minds, and keeping them from
pride, and warning them of the penalties of sin, and keeping them from
falling into some trap.” (The Living Bible)
In
Luke 15:17 we are shown that home should always be remembered as a
place where they can return—a place of love and forgiveness. That is
why it is so important to stay out of strife. One day our mates, like
this son, will finally come to their senses. Our prayers and spiritual
warfare are pulling down strongholds over them, and they will once
again see clearly!
MAN
OF FAITH
I
believe this father was a man of faith. He knew his son would return
home. Ring, shoes, and robe were kept ready for the son’s
homecoming. For many of our mates, this robe will be a robe of
righteousness. Our loved ones will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior of
their lives. Because the father had faith in God, he was watching for
his son and saw him coming when he was a great distance away. He had
the fatted calf ready for a celebration.
Complete
forgiveness and acceptance were extended to the prodigal son by the
father, but not from the older brother. As the first-born son, the
brother who stayed home would receive a double portion of the
inheritance, so he really had nothing to complain about. But he had an
ungrateful heart, full of envy and jealousy. Likewise, we must guard
our spirits and not become envious when others’ marriages are healed
before ours. We must rejoice as though these marriages were our own.
Are
we, like this father, truly prosperous? Are we in control of
situations as they arise? If so, our mates will remember us as loving
and forgiving husbands or wives and desire to return home. If not,
then repentance and cleansing are needed if there is strife and
unforgiveness. (1 John 1:9) You may need to ask for forgiveness from
your mate. If it is not possible to talk with them, perhaps you could
write a letter. Tell them you are sorry and that God is doing a work
in your life, then ask them to forgive you.
Remember,
faith works by love, and love never fails. When we walk in love and
forgiveness, we can be in control of our situations emotionally and
spiritually. We can possess real prosperity.
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