When God Says …
“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.” (Luke 15:13 KJV).
Continuing on the parable of The Prodigal Son, this passage says that after the younger son was given the cash value of his inheritance left for a far country. There, he lived riotously. Yeah, the Prodigal Son is described of taking his inheritance to a distant land and squandering it through "riotous" or wasteful living. This represents a person's willful rebellion against God, seeking autonomy in flesh apart from God to live through selfish, immoral indulgence, leading to tragic loss.
The “far country” analogy is a state of humanity's carnal living that is far detached from God, focusing on instant self gratification over divine living in God’s grace. With ‘riotous living’ it means wasteful, reckless, or uncontrolled squander of resources, often associated with a lifestyle of debauchery. The act of taking the inheritance before its time, while the father is still living, manifests the desire for the "material benefits" from the father without the bond of relationship, a complete severance from family.
This is, therefore, our reminder to have genuine faith (2 Timothy 1:5). Without this kind of faith we are warned the risk of a life like this prodigal son. Hence, Apostle Paul draws us to genuine faith in Christ Jesus our Lord in the confines of grace with this exultation, as it is written: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:16-24 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC.
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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