Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Luke 15:30, “But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.”

Background

There is seemingly nothing that goes on at my house that is undetected. As a parent, I am aware of many of the actions and attitudes that occur throughout the day. But on top of that, I am freely offered endless amounts of information from the smaller, younger inhabitants that usually includes a misdeed or transgression performed by one of the others. Their inability to remember certain rules is immediately replaced by perfect recall when a sibling is guilty of a violation. And the treat is always in how the indictment is communicated. The offender is painted as poorly as possible, while the reporter is intent on being seen as the innocent bystander or the pitiful victim. But we adults can do the same thing, can’t we? That is why you often hear the phrase, “there’s two sides to every story.” We know, or we should know, that how we or anyone else presents a set of circumstances could not possibly entail all of the nuances and subtleties that go into the making of the full picture.

Application

So when we hear the older son pile it on about his younger brother, we can appreciate what he is feeling and how he is motivated. The prodigal is not his brother but is his father’s son. He didn’t waste his inheritance; he devoured his dad’s livelihood with prostitutes. And he didn’t tell his son he’d have to make up for his mistakes, but he killed the fatted calf. Hold on. He didn’t exaggerate about the celebration. The details about his brother’s time away were open to hyperbole, but his dad absolutely killed the fatted calf upon the younger son’s return. And it’s that fatted calf that can end up being the burr in our saddle. When we allow something in itself to take the place of the relationship we should be having with our Father, then it always and eventually is going to seem like it was killed for someone else. Even if we get to share in it. The value and the worth will never live up to our expectations, and we’ll be left to bemoan our plight and gripe about everyone else. So, beware the fatted calf. You are daily being given the full banquet with Him.

Charge

As we seek Him today, ask your Father to open your eyes to what you already have in Him, and through Him. Ask Him to remove any calves you may be worshipping in His stead.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words