Devotional Thought

Luke 15:20 (NIV) – “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

In Luke 15, Jesus dismantles nearly every assumption people hold about God. Religious people believed they understood how God related to sinners. Sinners assumed they knew where they stood with God. Yet in one unforgettable story, Jesus reveals a Father unlike any other.

The younger son rejects his father openly. He wants the inheritance, not the relationship. He leaves, squanders everything, and eventually prepares a speech to earn his way back. But before he can prove himself, the father runs. He embraces. He restores. He celebrates.

Then comes the twist.

The older son—obedient, responsible, morally upright—refuses to enter the celebration. He is angry. Why? Because he too wanted the father’s blessings more than the father himself. His obedience was transactional. He served to secure control.

Jesus shows us something shocking: both sons are lost. One is lost in rebellion; the other is lost in religion. One tries to control the father by breaking the rules; the other by keeping them. Both treat the father as a means to an end.

But the father goes out to both.

This is the heart of the gospel. Salvation is not about moral conformity or self-discovery. It is about the initiating love of the Father who comes toward us before we clean ourselves up. Repentance does not trigger His love—His love makes repentance possible.

The question Luke 15 leaves hanging is personal: Will we come in? Will we stop trying to earn, manage, or manipulate God—and simply receive Him?

The gospel is not about getting God’s stuff. It is about getting God.

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you most from this passage or the message this week?

2. When you hear the parable of the prodigal son, which character do you most naturally identify with—the younger brother, the older brother, or someone else? Why?

3. The sermon suggests that without Jesus, we tend to create a God in our own image. In what subtle ways do people today shape God into someone they “agree with”? Have you ever realized your view of God needed correcting?

4. Both sons wanted the father’s blessings more than the father himself. What might “God’s stuff” look like in our lives today (for example: success, security, health, reputation, favor)? How can we tell when we are loving God versus using God?

5. The younger son was lost in rebellion; the older son was lost in moral performance. Why is “elder brother lostness” sometimes harder to recognize in ourselves?

6. The older brother obeyed, but his heart was distant. What are some signs that obedience is flowing from duty and control rather than love and gratitude?

7. The father ran to the younger son before he could repay anything. Why is it difficult for us to accept grace without earning it? How have you personally experienced God’s pursuing love?

8. The older brother was angry because he believed he deserved more. Have you ever felt that God “owed” you something because of your obedience? How does entitlement affect our relationship with Him?

9. Jesus ends the story without telling us whether the older brother enters the feast. Why do you think He leaves it unresolved? If you are honest, are you standing outside or inside the celebration?

Action Step

Close your time by reflecting silently on this question:

“Father, have I been trying to earn what You freely give?”

Spend a few moments in quiet gratitude for the initiating love of God. Then pray together:

Father, thank You for running toward us. Free us from trying to control You through rebellion or religion. Teach us to love You for who You are, not just for what You give. Bring us fully into the joy of Your house. Amen.