The condition of your heart determines the direction of your life - and direction determines destination
The Prodigal Son stands as one of Jesus' most renowned stories. It was the longest parable Jesus ever told. Charles Dickens said "It is the finest short story ever written." There are three central figures in this story: The wayward son, the elder brother, and the lover father. Each one of these people in the story impart profound lessons about the state of our own hearts. We have all had a heart to rebel, to criticize, or to love and forgive. Over the three weeks of this series, we will learn how to identify where are heart is currently leading us and how we can change our destination.
In Week 1 of this series, we focus on the Prodigal Son and his journey. We look at the progression and dangerous spiral that takes place from dissatisfaction>desire>decision>departure>dissolution> despair, and how the heart of a loving father opens the door for repentance and the two essential things we need to receive it.
Check out Week 1 in the video below and don't forget to get this week's Practices and Conversations to to help you engage in a regular rhythm of spiritual practices and a tool to encourage conversation with God and others as you encounter Jesus, become like Jesus, and love like Jesus.
“The more I reflect on the elder son in me, the more I realize how deeply rooted this form of lostness really is and how hard it is to return home from there. Returning home from a lustful escapade seems so much easier than returning home from a cold anger that has rooted itself in the deepest corners of my being.”
Henri Nouwen
This is a risk for every Christian, especially if you have been a Christian for a really long time, to become lost and develop a syndrome known as OBS. OBS is Older Brother Syndrome. OBS is when you lose your heart for people who are far from God. In Week 2 of Prodigal, we are looking at three symptoms of OBS and how we can take a look at our hearts are diagnose whether we suffer from it or not.