[TABLE="class: yiv4591912664templateContainer, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD][TABLE="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextBlock, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextBlockInner"][TABLE="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextContentContainer, width: 100%, align: left"]
[TR]
[TD="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextContent, align: center"]...‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
Luke 15:31[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][TABLE="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextBlock, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextBlockInner"][TABLE="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextContentContainer, width: 100%, align: left"]
[TR]
[TD="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextContent"]- OCTOBER 19 -
‘ALL THAT I HAVE IS YOURS’
[HR][/HR]
After running a few errands for his parents, a little boy went to his father and said, “I know why you and mummy had me.” “Why?” asked his father. “So that you guys would have someone to run errands for you!” exclaimed the boy.
Like the little boy, do you see God as a Father who demands obedience and service from you? Have you ever felt that unless you obey Him and keep all His commandments, you don’t have a right to be blessed by Him?
Jesus shared the story of the prodigal son to show how some of us call God “Father” and yet don’t know His heart. There are two sons in this parable. We know what happened to the prodigal son, but we can also learn something about the older son. This is what he said to his father when he discovered that his father had thrown a party to celebrate the return of his irresponsible, spendthrift brother: “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.” (Luke 15:29)
Now, this son believed that his father had brought him into the world to serve him. He saw his father as someone issuing commandments to him all the time. And he saw himself as someone who had to obey those commandments to enjoy his inheritance. But the truth is that the father had already given him his inheritance. (Luke 15:12) The father even reminded him lovingly: “Son…all that I have is yours.” And I am sure that that inheritance included more than one goat!
Have you, like the older son, failed to understand your Father’s heart? Your heavenly Father already gave you a rich inheritance in Christ when you became His son. He wants you to know that you have received the Spirit of sonship. (Romans 8:15) So call out to Him, “Abba, Father!” and know how much He loves you. Because you are His heir, all that He has is yours to enjoy today!
DESTINED TO REIGN DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR JOSEPH PRINCE[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TR]
[TD][TABLE="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextBlock, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextBlockInner"][TABLE="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextContentContainer, width: 100%, align: left"]
[TR]
[TD="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextContent, align: center"]...‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
Luke 15:31[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][TABLE="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextBlock, width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextBlockInner"][TABLE="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextContentContainer, width: 100%, align: left"]
[TR]
[TD="class: yiv4591912664mcnTextContent"]- OCTOBER 19 -
‘ALL THAT I HAVE IS YOURS’
[HR][/HR]
After running a few errands for his parents, a little boy went to his father and said, “I know why you and mummy had me.” “Why?” asked his father. “So that you guys would have someone to run errands for you!” exclaimed the boy.
Like the little boy, do you see God as a Father who demands obedience and service from you? Have you ever felt that unless you obey Him and keep all His commandments, you don’t have a right to be blessed by Him?
Jesus shared the story of the prodigal son to show how some of us call God “Father” and yet don’t know His heart. There are two sons in this parable. We know what happened to the prodigal son, but we can also learn something about the older son. This is what he said to his father when he discovered that his father had thrown a party to celebrate the return of his irresponsible, spendthrift brother: “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.” (Luke 15:29)
Now, this son believed that his father had brought him into the world to serve him. He saw his father as someone issuing commandments to him all the time. And he saw himself as someone who had to obey those commandments to enjoy his inheritance. But the truth is that the father had already given him his inheritance. (Luke 15:12) The father even reminded him lovingly: “Son…all that I have is yours.” And I am sure that that inheritance included more than one goat!
Have you, like the older son, failed to understand your Father’s heart? Your heavenly Father already gave you a rich inheritance in Christ when you became His son. He wants you to know that you have received the Spirit of sonship. (Romans 8:15) So call out to Him, “Abba, Father!” and know how much He loves you. Because you are His heir, all that He has is yours to enjoy today!
DESTINED TO REIGN DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR JOSEPH PRINCE[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
First, I hope people understand that arguing about the relative unmerits of this post are not going to stop this onslaught of bad to actually heretical posts. Please report her, and hopefully one day the mods will live up to their stickie about no hypergrace in the BDF.
More specifically, what does the Bible actually say about this issue? Not just the random egocentric eisgesis that Joseph Prince loves to engage in.
Like the little boy, do you see God as a Father who demands obedience and service from you? Have you ever felt that unless you obey Him and keep all His commandments, you don’t have a right to be blessed by Him?
Thoughts
"We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ," 2 Cor. 10:5
And one on the absolute importance of obedience, as Saul found out and died and his whole family was wiped out. (I can just here JM saying this is OT! Nope, this is Bible!
"Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22
"Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance, 15 but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, 16 for it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:13-16
"Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,[c] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness" Romans 6:16-18
And there is the definitive verse:
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments." John 14:15
Now, this son believed that his father had brought him into the world to serve him. He saw his father as someone issuing commandments to him all the time. And he saw himself as someone who had to obey those commandments to enjoy his inheritance
So, is the Parable really saying that the elder son was wrong to obey his father and serve his commands? Because if that is what this parable is saying, that nullifies all of the verses I have posted above, and many more on the importance of obedience.
"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 2 Tim. 4:3
This is just the most vile twisting of the Bible for itching ears, I have heard. It seems innocuous to many, but in fact, it is evil, and damaging to our walk as Christians.
The younger son did maintain his sonship, but he did not "enjoy" his inheritance, but rather wasted it in "reckless" or "foolish" "loose" or "wild" living! (Depending upon your translation - but all the same idea - disobedience to his father and God!)
"Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living." Luke 15:13
This is the trouble with Joseph Prince and pulling verses out of context. In fact, this is not about squandering the gifts God has given you, then getting your cake and eating it too!
It is about the mercy of God! And that the younger son was still loved by his father, in spite of his profligate ways. As for the older son, I do believe he was startled at the way his brother was treated. But not out of jealousy, but because he just wondered why he had been faithful and obedient and never been rewarded.
Of course, he was rewarded! The inheritance his brother squandered was always his!
"My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 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.’” Luke 15:31
Yes, they celebrated together his brother's return. It no where says anything to the contrary! Talk about reading into the text something that is not there!
Do me a favour, Joanie-Marie and learn about context. And do start to read the Bible for yourself instead of swallowing hook, line and sinker the lies of this poser!
Last edited: