Bible Reading: Luke 15:11-32
Key
Verse: Verse 12 – “And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of
goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.”
Key Words: Father, give me
Have you ever
noticed that the more we have, the less we appreciate what we have?
In
our Scripture reading for today the prodigal son was truly blessed. He had a father who loved him and had
provided for him; he undoubtedly lived in a nice house, with cattle and plenty
of land. The father was rich – he had
rings, purple robes, cattle, and servants; but the prodigal wanted more. He had heard about a city in a far-away
country; and rather than being thankful for what he had, he wanted more.
Ralph Waldo
Emerson observed that, “We exhibit a degree of thanksgiving in life in reverse
proportion to the amount of blessing we receive.” Let me explain. A hungry man is more thankful for his morsel
of bread than a rich man is for his table full of food. A lonely woman in a nursing home will
appreciate a visit more than a popular woman who receives visits and calls on a
daily basis. A Russian who finally gets
his own copy of the Bible after years of state-imposed atheism is more thankful
than most, if not all, of the people assembled in a Sunday morning church
service who hear the Word continually, but fail to heed what they hear.
Ralph Waldo
Emerson also observed that, “If the constellations appeared only once in a
thousand years, imagine what an exciting event that would be! But because they’re there every night, we
barely give them a look.”
We are, indeed, a blessed people; and you,
unlike the prodigal, don’t have to get down in the pigpen of life to learn to
appreciate and be thankful for what God has blessed you with.
What to do:
✞ Look around and name as many blessings of God as you can.
Are you thankful for them all?
✞ Look down and see that there are those who are
less fortunate than you.
✞ Look up and thank God for your salvation – if, indeed, you are saved.
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