Bible Passage: “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours…’” (Luke 15:31 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Luke 15:11-32
Have you ever been asked to share a little bit about who you are?
Most men answer this with details of work, marriage, or where they live.
Yet, none of those answers really reveals who we are.
In Luke 15, Jesus shares a well-known parable of a man and his two sons. If you were to ask the sons who they were, the older son would probably say something like, “I am a servant of my father,” while the younger son would probably say something like, “I am not sure, and I want to go discover that.”
We continue to read that both sons do exactly what their thoughts push them to do. The younger son leaves and lives a life of “wild living” (Luke 15:13), while the older son “was in the field” (Luke 15:25).
But it’s how their father interacts with each of them later that they, and we, discover their true identity.
When the younger son returned, his heart was filled with self-condemnation for his sins, and he was convinced that his father would never accept him back as his son.
But what happens?
“…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” (Luke 15:20).
Then his father calls for a celebration because “this son of (his) was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ (Luke 15:24 emphasis added).
But the older son, when he heard the commotion, was “angry and refused to go in” (Luke 15:28).
Why?
Because of how he viewed himself—not as a son but as a slave of his father (Luke 15:29).
And how does his father respond to him?
“‘My son…you are always with me, and everything I have is yours,” (Luke 15:31, emphasis added).
The reality is that both sons needed inner healing from the false views they held of themselves.
Here’s the truth that will set you free:
No matter how you view yourself, the Father views you as His son. You are His, and you belong in His family.
So, the next time you doubt, read Luke 15 and know that God calls you “son.”
Prayer: Jesus, for too long I have seen our relationship through my own viewpoint. Help me to see it through Yours. Thank You that You call me son. Amen.
Reflection: What does it feel like to you to know that you are God’s son? Seek to live out of that relationship every day.
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