”‘His father said to him, “Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.”’
Luke 15:31 (NLT)
Luke 15 contains three parables, but one message: we must celebrate when the lost are found, not just value the righteous remaining faithful. The prodigal son was lost chasing a different life—he thought the family God placed him in and the work he was given weren’t enough. But his brother, the one who stayed, was lost too.
In verse 28, the faithful brother was angry about the celebration. In verse 29, we learn why: he had slaved and obeyed but never received a feast like his lost brother. He saw himself as a slave and never claimed what was already his.
His father said, “Everything I have is yours.” If he lacked something, it was because he never asked.
Both sons needed grace. One pursued the world, one pursued works, but joy is found in relationship with Jesus.
I rebuke the spirit of slavery today: we don’t earn God’s provision by striving, and we don’t need the world’s empty promises. Our Father is Jehovah Jireh—the Provider—and all that He has is ours in Christ.
Ask the Father for what you need.