Jump Start # 2747

Luke 15:18 “I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, ’Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in your sight.’”

This week in our Jump Starts we are looking both backward over this past year with reflection and looking forward to next year with anticipation. This is the time when many people make resolutions for the new year. Some are personal, such as more exercise, weight loss, more saving money. Some are spiritual, such as reading the Bible more, praying on a regular basis. It is even good for congregations to make resolutions, such as being more dedicated, reaching more people, doing a better job connecting with the young people.

In our verse today, the words of the prodigal, he was making a resolution. This was not based upon the calendar and the end of a year. This was based upon the bottom dropping out of his life. He had left home with a pocket full of money. Now, he was staring at pigs. Everyone had left him. Alone. Down. Hopeless. He resolves to make a change. He resolves to go home. He resolves to confess to his father. His resolution came from the depth of his heart and not the start of a new year. Those can be some of the best resolutions and changes in a life.

Some make yearly resolutions and by the second month they are forgotten and they have accomplished nothing. Sometimes making resolutions is a result of getting caught up with the spirit of others. Everyone around you is making a resolution so you feel guilty if you do not come up with something. But, such a person is not really serious about keeping that resolution.

Here are the components of resolutions that will make a difference in your life:

First, it begins with not being satisfied with the way things are. If a person is content with the way they look, then they won’t “resolve” to make any changes. This is true financially as well as spiritually. The greatest motivator for personal change is the bathroom mirror and the monthly bank statement. Those two things are bluntly true. When a person is tired of living the way that they are living then there will be a great incentive to change. This is where we see the prodigal. He was fed up with his life. Low living had not brought the joys that he expected. He was not happy, content, nor wanted to spend another day feeding pigs.

Second, the person must believe that change is possible and within reach. This is where small, tiny goals are very helpful in making and keeping resolutions. If what you want is completely out of reach, then you’ll be so discouraged that you will never attempt to change. Baby steps are the key. Just a few pounds. Just a few minutes of exercise. Just a few dollars saved up. It’s like a drop in the bucket. At first and for a while, those little drops do not seem like much. But if a person stays with it, before long the bottom of that bucket is covered. Keep with it. Don’t quit. In time, the bucket is a third filled. Then half way filled. Then it’s at the top. Then the water is spilling over. Drop by drop. Consistently and constantly.

Third, there will always need to be adjustments. Things happen. We call that life. Your schedule will get off schedule. And, that is often the crash of most resolutions. What was started now stops. What began ends. And, back to the old ways we go. We must want the change more than we want to stay the way things are. So, readjust the schedule. Catch up on things. Get back on track.

Fourth, in time you will start to see some positive results. These small victories will encourage you and help you even more. For some, keeping a written record of their goals is a key part of this. If that works, do it. For others, just seeing the results is enough to keep them going and reaching forward for a bigger goal.

That’s it! It seems so simple. Now, put these thoughts into spiritual goals. Losing weight, saving money, finishing a degree are all great, but not nearly as great as reaching real spiritual goals in your journey with the Lord.

Here are a few ideas. Think them out and then create your own list. Spiritual resolutions. Spiritual goals.

• Better attendance. As I write this, things are still sketchy in many places. But, before long the threat of the pandemic will lessen. Things will open up again. Congregations will fire the engines once again and the doors will be open for multiple times during the week to worship. Some haven’t done real well here. Some have allowed this pandemic to cool their desire for attending. Make that one of your resolutions. Begin, by attending every worship service that your congregation offers for a month. Every single one. Don’t miss one. Then, make your goal a quarter of the year. Now, you might miss a service because you didn’t feel well one day. Don’t go back to your old ways. Get back in there and keep attending. You’ll be amazed at all the other positive things that come from this.

• Better Bible knowledge. This is something we all can work on. Start small. Do you know the books of the Bible in order? If not, start with the N.T. Start with a few at a time. Write them out on a 3×5 card. Keep it with you. Say them as you drive along. Keep adding more and more to the list. You’ll get it. For those who know this, work on memorizing how many chapters are in each book. How many chapters are in Genesis? Then Exodus. This will help you find things better in your Bible. From that, bring a pen and notebook to services. Take notes, just like you were in college. Write down things the preacher says. Put notes in your Bible. Underline words. Notice repeated words. From that, start focusing upon when things happened in the life of Christ. Get an understanding of what each book of the Bible is about. Knowing the purpose will help you understand the message more. Dig and dig and lower your net deeper and deeper.

• Better Prayer life. It’s easy to get in the habit of praying for the same things over and over. Make a schedule that works for you. On Monday, pray for those in the congregation. On Tuesday, pray for those in your family that are not Christians. On Wednesday, pray for insight and opportunity to help others. On Thursday, pray for young families. On Friday, pray for elders and preachers. On Saturday, pray for yourself. And, on Sunday, use your prayers to thank the Lord. Come up with your own system. Print it out so you won’t forget. Better prayers. Deeper prayers. More prayers.

• Better Connection with God’s people. It’s easy to only see each other when we are in the church building. Make it a goal to contact every family this year. If necessary, start with the names that begin with “A” and work through the congregation. Drop them a card. Give them a call. Do something special for them. When the situation allows, go out to eat or have someone in your home, so you can spend some great time with them. This will enhance your fellowship, worship and love for the congregation.

Resolutions—making them is easy. Keeping them is the key. Put some thought into this and then get busy.

Roger

Jump Start # 2299

Luke 15:18 “I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in your sight.”

I love the prodigal son story. I have a whole collection of books just on this parable. I have a Jump Start book that is a collection of writings about this. I remember many years ago, I was just a puppy, sitting in awe of the preaching of Robert Jackson. I asked him how many sermons he had on the prodigal son. He told me “probably more than 30 different sermons.” At the time I was amazed that anyone could find that much there. Now, all these years later, I’m amazed that he only had 30 sermons on this and not more.

Our verse today comes from the depths of sorrow. The prodigal is at the bottom of the barrel. Money spent. Friends gone. Hope disappearing. No one to help. No future in sight. This is the feeling when the consequences start catching up with someone. It’s when a person stares at some legal papers that say divorce. It’s when a person is sitting in the police station and he is looking at serving several years in prison. The world has caved in. The options are few. The careless living and the indifference to God’s word has caught up with him. The years of drugs, drinking and smoking have become x-rays, MRIs and serious health issues that won’t go away. The years of being selfish, rude and demanding has left him alone and friendless. The years of not watching his money has caught up with him and now he is old, sick and broke. The reality of poor choices eventually catches up.

In the Lord’s parable, the prodigal comes to a decision. It’s our verse. He determines to return home. It’s his only course of action and it’s the only hope that he has. There is no one left but family. And, at last, he must finally turn to them, because there simply isn’t anyone else to help.

Going home is what the prodigal decided to do. That’s a hard choice to make. It’s humbling. It’s scary. It’s full of regrets, remorse and painful failure. “I will get up and go to my father,” are not happy words, but desperate words.

Going home for the prodigal and going home for us carries a lot of pain and fear.

First, he didn’t know if he would be welcomed. The people he hurt the most was family. Now he was returning and he had no way of making up for the damage he caused. He came home nearly crawling and with the clothes on his back. He couldn’t repay his father. He couldn’t undue the damage he caused to the family name.

And, such is the nature of sin. So often we hurt the people who care the most about us. Our family and our church are the ones who love us and accept us and our sins damage them the most.

Second, he was willing to put himself in a position that would offer an olive branch of peace. He was willing to be a servant. Make me as one of your hired men. The hired men do not eat with the family. The hired men do not sleep in the house. The hired men are still working while the family is resting. The family would be enjoying pleasant conversations, but the hired men would be working. They are not included in those conversations. The hired men sleep in barns and small quarters set up for them. Most hired men dream of moving out of that position. This broken son, dreamed of being in that position. At least, he thought, he’d have food. He’d have a place to sleep. He had occasions to see the family.

Coming home with demands, is not really coming home. Coming home and pointing the finger of blame on others is not really coming home. Coming home and not recognizing the damage that you caused is not really coming home. Some come home, but they are not broken, sorry or apologetic. Their return causes more pain. Nothing has changed. They return to take more from the family.

Third, he was willing to give it a chance. It could turn ugly. It could be the father would react like the older brother did. It could be that he would be out on the streets again. But he had hope. He had reason to believe that there was goodness within his father. He had seen how his father treated servants. They had a good thing going. The father was kind, generous and benevolent to servants.

Now, with these thoughts, remain two final ideas:

First, I wonder how many prodigals are wanting to come home but they are afraid. They’ve messed up. There is an addiction. There is a child. There is a criminal record. There is no money. There is no job. There is no residence. They’ve made a mess, a real mess. Like the prodigal, they are out of options and out of hope. They want to come home. They want to come home to a real family and they want to come back to a church family. But they are afraid. They fear stares, frowns, the questions, the rejection, the “what are you doing here?” Deep inside, they want to worship on Sunday. They want to come back to the Lord. They may be among the withdrawn. They may have left saying things that they now regret. They want to come, but they are scared.

Second, I wonder if we, as families and as congregations, leave an impression and a love upon the prodigals that they remember. Do we open doors to them? Do we truly welcome them back? Do we allow them back, even after we have been hurt? Do we allow them back when all they have is “I’m sorry for what I’ve done.”

Coming home is hard. We preach that side of things often. The other side is where the father stood. He was looking. He was hoping. He came running. That’s the spirit that we must carry in our hearts. I expect that first night home, sleeping in his old bed, the prodigal couldn’t imagine how wonderful things were. The father was better than he even remembered. He wasn’t a servant. He was a son. He wasn’t in the barn, he was in the house. He didn’t eat left overs, he had a feast. It was better than he dreamed.

I long for the time when our prodigals experience that among us. Loved. Forgiven. Accepted. Hugs. Not the third degree. Not feeling like they are suspended or on probation. Not watched to see if one is going to mess up again. Not suspicious. Not doubting. In the house, with a full belly, sleeping in his own bed. He sure didn’t deserve that, but the father wouldn’t have it any other way.

Oh to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer…may we be like that father!

Roger

Jump Start # 1984

Luke 15:18 “I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and in your sight”

I was thinking about the prodigal the other day. A person needs to make things right to be right. If a person has stolen something, then he ought to return it. But there are times when all a person can do is to say, “I’m sorry.” There is no fixing things. There is no making things right again.

For instance, in this parable, the prodigal was given his share of his father’s estate. It took his father a lifetime to build that estate. The prodigal wasted it all. He came home broke. He had no money to return to his father. Likely, his father would not live long enough to ever recover what he had given the prodigal. It was gone. All the prodigal could do was say, “I’m sorry.”

The same is true with the sin of an abortion. A person can realize later on that killing the unborn was not right but it’s too late to undo what has been done. Saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ will not bring the child back to life.

The consequences and nature of some sins are such that a person cannot return things to the way they once were. They can repent. They can stop the sin. They can say that they are sorry. However, there are situations in which nothing can be done to restore things. While it is true that you can always go back home to God, it is also true that there are times in which you can never make things the way they once were. The destructive consequences of sin takes a toll upon our hearts and our families. People that are thoughtlessly ruining their lives and hurting others may someday stop but the path of destruction that they have left may never be restored again.

From this we ought to see two simple thoughts.

First, saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ doesn’t fix things. It needs to be said. It needs to be genuine. It should be demonstrated by a changed life and better choices and righteous living. But “I’m sorry,” isn’t a magical band-aide that heals wounds quickly. Our sins can kill friendships. Our sins can ruin trust. Coming home where we need to be is important, but so often we don’t see the hurt that we have caused. We can feel sorry. We can say, “I’m sorry.” However, the wounds remain. The damage has been done.

Second, sometimes saying “I’m sorry,” is all that you can do. You can’t fix everything that you broke. Making it up sometimes can not be done. That leaves the prodigals feeling empty and as if there is something that they still need to do. But nothing can be done. Cry all the tears you want, yet, some things will never be the same again.

We can make the prodigals in our lives feel like indentured servants. We can make them feel like they “owe” us. The punishment may never end. The feelings never restored nor forgiven. We feel like we have been robbed, violated and taken advantage of, and all they did was say, “I’m sorry.” Some would say, “that’s not enough.” How do you “undo” rape or sexual abuse? It can’t be done. So, the prodigal says he’s sorry. He can’t repay his father. He can’t undo the wasteful abuse of his father’s gift. All he can say is, “I’m sorry.”

For the prodigal, he feels like a heel. He wants to do more, but he can’t. He can’t make things right. For the father, who was taken advantage of, he can hold it over the prodigal the rest of his life. He can make him work until he has repaid what was lost. But we know how the story truly goes. The father rushes out and embraces the sorry prodigal. He calls for the robe, sandals and a ring. A feast is prepared. A celebration takes place. Were things made right? No. It was the father’s choice of forgiveness.

It’s one thing if someone took something and lost it or ruined it and they replaced it. Everything is just about back to normal. But in situations like the prodigal, grace and forgiveness is what the father offered. His son back was worth more than the money lost. A relationship repaired. A love shared.

It’s hard when someone has hurt you. It’s hard when all they say is, “I’m sorry.” It’s hard when “I’m sorry,” is all that they can do. It’s hard when things will never be the same because money is lost, or property is ruined, or people have been hurt. We, who have been hurt, feel as if something more ought to be done. Some payment ought to be offered. But when all they have to put on the table is an “I’m sorry,” it is up to us to decide whether or not we will offer grace and forgiveness or continue to be hurt and expect something from them.

This forgiveness business is hard. It’s hard when in our minds we think, “This is what I would do.” Yet, the person doesn’t do that. It’s hard when we suffer a loss and all we get is, “I’m sorry.” The lack of forgiveness will ruin relationships, leads to us being bitter and can quickly fill our minds with wrath and hatred. That’s not a place to go. Two wrongs, my mom always told me, never makes a right. Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, eventually leads to two blind and toothless men, who are more miserable than before. Getting even or making things right, as we might call it, never seems to work fairly.

The prodigal came home. All he had to offer was an apology. The money was gone. It probably was never going to be replaced, at least not in the father’s lifetime. There were open wounds. The father chose to close those wounds by extending grace and forgiveness. That’s where you and I are. We are at the intersection of either closing those wounds up by offering grace and forgiveness or keeping those wounds open by expecting, demanding and hoping for some sort of repayment. Until that repayment is made, those wounds never close. God chose forgiveness. The father in Luke 15 chose forgiveness.

What do you choose?

Roger