I love sitting out in the sun. When I was a teenager I would sit out in my backyard and still, to this day, I sit out on my back deck. I love to bask in the warmth of the sun.
Suppose when I was a teen my younger sister, Cathy, decided to join me in sitting out in the sun. I become indignant, “This is my sun. This is my warmth. You cannot have it. It is mine.”
Imagine that I thought my sister was taking the light and warmth of the sun from me by partaking of its light and warmth. How ridiculous and silly that would be!
And this is how it is with the grace of God. I get all of His grace and my brothers and sisters in Christ get all of His grace and each of us have none the less for it. Simply put, we do not lose any grace when someone else receives it.
Notice the Father’s grace and compassion in Luke 15. The Father compassionately received the lost son and then He compassionately intreated the angry son. This is the son who would not go in until his brother was put out for his sins.
Did the elder son think there was not enough grace and compassion for the both of them? Did he feel the grace of the Father was not something to be shared with others?
We see this same thinking in the book of Jonah. Jonah wanted all of the grace of God for the Hebrew people and none for their enemies. He sat and pouted when Nineveh was delivered. We see how kindly our good Lord dealt with him in Jonah 4.
The word intreated means to comfort, console or encourage. The compassionate Father went out to comfort the elder son telling him “All that I have is thine!” And so it is for every Christian. All that God is and all that He has is ours!!
In Luke 15, Jesus not only declares His undying love for the lost, but He also admonishes the believer. We should respond with rejoicing each time the lost are found. It is meet (necessary) that we should make merry! For there is always enough grace to go around when the lost are found!
“It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”
Luke 15:32
Loser Bible Study Series Theme Verse:
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” Mark 8:35
“Lose” from the Greek word “Apollymi” means “to destroy fully.” It is translated lost in Luke 15:32, our verse for today.
Comments