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I want to grow as a leader, and I want to help others grow. Sharing my thoughts on leadership is intended to help us grow together into all God wants for us. I hope you enjoy my blog.

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Tuesday, August 6, 2013

The Elder Son

The story of the prodigal son contains three main characters: the younger son, the father, and the older son.  The younger son has taken his portion of the inheritance and gone to a far country to waste his substance.  After awhile, he returns to his father with a repentant heart.  The father is so happy to receive him back that he orders the best robe to be put on him, a ring to be put on his finger, sandals for his feet, and the fatted calf to be killed.  They will celebrate the return of the son who was lost and is found, who was dead and is now alive.  But there is an older son  who comes home from working in the field.  In fact, he has been working faithfully in the field for many years.  He comes home to the sound of music and dancing, and inquires what is going on.  Then he finds out that his younger son has returned, and the father has put on a party, and killed the fatted calf.  He is angry and would not go in, so the father came out to talk to him.  He said to his father, "..these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends."  Luke 15:29.  The older son has reduced his place in the family to "serving" and "not transgressing".  He was not living out of the joy of relationship with his father, but instead he was living to not transgress against his father.  His mindset had become one of works, and performance to earn a blessing from his father.  The father said, "Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours."  The older son did not realize that he always had the father with him, and anything that belonged to the father, belonged to the son.  Sometimes we as God's children can fall into the thinking that we will earn God's blessing if we serve Him, and not transgress His commandments.  But the Father says that because we are His children, we are always with Him, and everything He has is ours!  What do you need today?  The Father is with you always, and all that is His is yours.  You can come to Him anytime for whatever you need.  Sometimes the younger son who has just repented understands grace more than the older son, who has been serving for many years.  Come to the  Father out of love, and grace, and receive of His blessings today.

Do I realize that I am always with the Father, and all He has is mine?