No Redeeming Without Repenting - Luke 15-16

 Luke 15:11-16 (ESV)

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 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. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

Sometimes we have to pray that those who are lost and squandering their life, simply come to their senses.   In the above text we have a young man who is the stereotype of us all.  He wanted to find enjoyment in life and decided to do so in the wrong manner.   He squandered all he was given by his father and ended up eating with the pigs ... or, wishing he could eat with the pigs.   Sometimes our prayers might be more beneficial to pray over those in this condition that they open their eyes to see the pigsty of life they are experiencing.   The enjoyment he had living in sin was turned to wallowing in stink.  This is the plight of those who seek the world’s flavors and not their heavenly Savior.   The verse that follows the above story is the key to the passage:

Luke 15:17 (ESV)

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!

There comes a time in everyone’s life (no matter the pigsty they are in) that they must come to their senses and see the condition of their life.  The pigsty they live in might look like a real pigsty.    But it might look like a place full of riches and bountiful earthly goods.   Whether it smells of pigs or earthly pleasures it is still a pigsty if it is taking you away from the Heavenly Father.   It reads that he came to himself.   He came to the place of repentance.  But he did not come to this point on his own.   Note what Paul told young Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:25 (ESV)

correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

We need to pray for our prodigals that God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of truth.   This is what happened with the prodigal son.  He was granted repentance.   That repentance lead him to return to his father.   That is the redemptive story of the son.   We can only be redeemed by God after we receive repentance from God.