Today's Passage - Luke 15:11-19

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 15:11-19   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."'   The younger son asked the father for his share of the estate, meaning that he thought he was entitled to that portion of the estate; however, didn't everything he owned belong to the father?  Wasn't his life, his breathe, even his portion of the estate all from the grace of his father?  In this parable in the Bible, this father is actually the heavenly father whom we believe in, who created everything, and who is filled with love.  When God created human beings, He gave them life and let them survive and reproduce.  He first created all beings and then human beings, so that human beings can enjoy all the resources on earth, and also given the responsibility to take care of the land.  In other word, everything that human beings own on earth is from God.  We, however, often feel that we deserve everything that we have, because we have gained them from our hard work and life.  But isn't our life also from God?  The sense of self-dependence and entitlement often makes us reject the grace of God.   We are much like this younger son; we like to depend on ourselves, thinking that we deserve everything, but our hearts turn cold and distant from God.  May the Spirit of the Lord remind us through this parable to turn back to Father God, knowing that in the house of God there is abundant grace, and we only need to come before Him and receive all kinds of grace from Him, because we know the our Father God is willing to give everything to us. Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you, and I ask that you open our eyes to know that you are the God where all grace is from, for everything in our life is from you.  Let us have a softened and humble heart, to turn back to you, and you will give us all kinds of grace according to your abundant promise.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!