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- Oct 26, 2007
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And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'" Luke 15:31-32 ESV
The older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son didn’t betray his family or squander the family wealth, but he did know how to hold a grudge. Faced with his brother’s return, he could only see what his brother had done wrong in contrast to all he had done right. Lost in his accounting was his brother’s restoration, which prompted his father’s celebration.
Comparing yourself with others is a fast track to killing your compassion for them…and to turning yourself into a hero. When you need to preserve a certain narrative about yourself, mercy for others can evaporate pretty ;quickly. What’s more, focusing on the failures of others makes it easy to overlook your own mistakes and vices. The son who stayed home didn’t consider his own bitterness a flaw, so it was hard for him to have compassion for his brother. Instead, he used the prodigal’s actions as a smokescreen to hide his own flaws.
Failing to show mercy can result in missing out on God’s joy…and quite a few parties, sometimes literal ones. God always prefers mercy, and that means celebrating a sinner’s homecoming.
Prayer: Jesus, help me to see others with compassion and mercy so that I can rejoice with You.
The older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son didn’t betray his family or squander the family wealth, but he did know how to hold a grudge. Faced with his brother’s return, he could only see what his brother had done wrong in contrast to all he had done right. Lost in his accounting was his brother’s restoration, which prompted his father’s celebration.
Comparing yourself with others is a fast track to killing your compassion for them…and to turning yourself into a hero. When you need to preserve a certain narrative about yourself, mercy for others can evaporate pretty ;quickly. What’s more, focusing on the failures of others makes it easy to overlook your own mistakes and vices. The son who stayed home didn’t consider his own bitterness a flaw, so it was hard for him to have compassion for his brother. Instead, he used the prodigal’s actions as a smokescreen to hide his own flaws.
Failing to show mercy can result in missing out on God’s joy…and quite a few parties, sometimes literal ones. God always prefers mercy, and that means celebrating a sinner’s homecoming.
Prayer: Jesus, help me to see others with compassion and mercy so that I can rejoice with You.
