“I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.'”
– Jesus, “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:18-19)
Jesus’ story about a father and two sons follows the younger son into the far country, where a famine plunges him into desperation. Faced with eating pigs’ food, the son comes to his senses and decides to go home, hoping at most to get a job as a hired hand.
When the prodigal son makes his decision to return, he knows he’d better have something good to say upon arrival. He expects his father to lash out at him for all the hurt he has caused. So, adopting the same words that Pharaoh used to appease Moses (so the plagues would stop coming onto Egypt), the prodigal plans to say, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.” He will then tell his dad not to consider taking him back as son, but only as a hired servant. The younger son hopes that his seeming humility will work to his favor, securing him a job in his father’s household.
Many of us view God just like the prodigal son viewed His father. Our motivation to pray and take part in religious activities is so God will take notice and bless us. Some attend church only for the social and family benefits. We keep God in a drawer, accessible only when there’s a need. Then, we use our service as a way to manipulate God, signing up to serve only if He’ll promise to come through for us in a pinch.
Fortunately, God is not primarily interested in acquiring people as servants. Above all, He wants us as sons and daughters. He doesn’t want to become simply your taskmaster, ready to take you on as a new employee. He hopes to call you His child! When we respond to God’s call to salvation, we must change our way of thinking and begin looking to Him, not as a banker or an employer, but as Savior and Father.
written by Trevin Wax © 2007 Kingdom People blog
