The Prodigal Son

Once upon a time, “a certain man had two sons: 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. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry” (Luke 15:11-24).

While the ability to make decisions is a sign of bravery, one must thrive to always make wise decisions. The prodigal son started out making bad decisions over his inheritance when he was not yet mentally and financially matured to manage it. We typically make wrong decisions when we are not reasoning right. Making place for thorough thinking and seeking counsel from wise and experienced people in the fields connected to our intended decision are very useful in making good decisions (Proverbs 11:14). Above all, never forget that the best decisions are taken in the place of prayer because the God who knows the end from the beginning will direct us into His perfect will for our lives. A God-directed decision will always lead us to the right path: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6).

The prodigal son in our story made good and bad decisions.

His Bad Decisions

1. He decided to have his inheritance even when his father was still alive instead of waiting for the right time.
2. He decided to go far away from his family instead of staying close by. He would not have eaten pigs’ food if he was among his people because they would have fed him.
3. He decided to lavish the money on riotous living instead of investing it in business.

His Good Decisions

1. He decided to do any menial work when he was left with nothing so he could survive instead of begging or dying of hunger.
2. He decided to arise and go back to his father instead of remaining in misery because of shame and pride.
3. He decided to take responsibility for his actions instead of blaming them on his father, brother, evil forces, etc.
4. He decided to confess his sins to his father, and humbly accepted his forgiveness.

Question: Among the decisions of the prodigal son, which do you like most? Please explain why you like this particular decision and drop your comments. We shall review them and continue with this topic next time.

Thank you!