“This son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” FINDING UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, PATIENCE, GRACE, RECONCILIATION AND A GODLY EXAMPLE IN THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON FIVE-DAY DEVOTIONAL By Pastor Louie Pantelis In celebration of the 50th anniversary for Christian Children’s Home of Ohio and its family of ministries LostINTRODUCTION Things o matter who you are, where you have been, what you have done or what Nhas happened to you -- if there is breath in your lungs, your story is still being written. Your past or even your present do not have to equal your future. I can testify to this reality. The early chapters of my life were messy, complicated and brutal. The chapter that you are living right now does not have to define you. You play a very important role in how your story will be told to future generations. As a young man, I was placed into foster care due to the abusive nature of my father. My life was a mess, it did not make sense and, at times, I was a part of the problem. Being an adolescent is challenging enough; it is even harder when you change homes, families and schools throughout those years. But as I know now, challenges have a way of helping you become who you were meant to be. At the age of 17, I entered Christian Children’s Home of Ohio (CCHO). I did not want to be there! God did not make sense (to be honest, He still doesn’t, but I am reminded throughout Scripture that His ways are not my ways). What I had experienced and endured made me question His ways. A Christian children’s home was the last place in the world I wanted to be. The thought of a new “home,” new rules, new “family” and new school was not something I was looking forward to; however, the children’s home became a life-altering chapter in my life. Pat and Tim McKelley (Ma Pat and Pa Tim) were responsible for cottage two, and they became responsible for me. It is amazing to me that anyone would sign up for such a task because, admittedly, I was a handful! Thank you, Ma and Pa. You are loved more than I can communicate. BIBLICAL FOUNDATION The 15th chapter of Luke, and the story of the Prodigal Son in particular, will serve as the inspiration for this devotional. Jesus was accused of associating with sinners, and He told three stories about lost things to illustrate His purpose here on earth: the Lost Sheep (1-7), the Lost Coin (8-10) and, finally, the Prodigal Son (11-32). Throughout the chapter, Jesus examines the value of lost things and the great lengths people will go to recover them. Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.”’ So he got up and went to his father. But 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. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” ~ Luke 15:11-24 (NIV) The story of the Prodigal Son illustrates unconditional love, patience, grace and reconciliation while giving us an example of how to be godly when there is dysfunction in the family. Even the healthiest families have some dysfunction. If we listen to what God is saying through Scripture, we can learn how to overcome dysfunction. What is broken can be fixed, but we must be willing to acknowledge the brokenness and invite God to do what only He can do. Healing begins as we invite Jesus, the ultimate Healer, into our brokenness. A Devotional Approach • Begin each day’s reading with prayer, asking God to speak to you (it is more important you hear from Him than me). The purpose of a devotional time is to enter His presence. • Read, reflect, journal and respond to what God is speaking to you. A journal allows you to reflect on what God is saying to you and/or what He is prompting you to do. • End with prayer, thanking and praising God for the chapter you are in. Ask Him to take the pen and write the next chapter of your life. THERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER 2 D A Y O N E Unconditional Love “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 Opening Prayer Ask God to give you ears to hear what He wants to speak to your heart this day. When I read John 3:16 for the first time many years ago, I looked for a disclaimer statement. It sounded like one of those commercials for a product that seemed too good to be true and is only available by ordering through the number given on the screen. Then the spokesman inevitably says, “But that’s not all!” before telling you how they are going to sweeten the deal. I have been snookered by those ads, and the product never lives up to the claims. When Jesus states that God so loved the world, it can sound too good to be true because it means that God loves everyone. I have lived in this world long enough to know that there are some people who are hard to love. To be candid, there are some people I struggle to love on some days. Chances are, you would admit the same thing. John 3:16 tells us that we do not even have to be lovable for God to love us. I can tell you about this unconditional love because I have experienced it. Through the story of the Prodigal Son, Jesus gives us an illustration of the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father. The prodigal gave the father so many reasons not to love him. When he asked his father for his inheritance early, it essentially was the equivalent of saying, “Dad, I can’t wait for you to die, so give me what is coming to me now.” The father simply allowed his son to leave with his portion of the inheritance. After spending everything he had on wild living, the son finds himself longing for hog slop. He decides to return home, reasoning that his father would take him on as a servant. When his father spots him on the horizon, he runs to embrace him. The love the father had for his lost and wandering son was unconditional. It did not matter how he had behaved, the ways in which he had disrespected his father, or even the fact that he had blown his inheritance. At the age of 17, I had come to believe that nobody wanted me. I had been through several homes and my caseworker was having a difficult time placing me. After spending the entire summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school as a runaway in Florida, I was placed at CCHO. I had spent every penny of the money I had earned delivering newspapers, mowing lawns, raking leaves and shoveling snow on that excursion. I was a party animal, living that summer with few rules and little accountability. I entered the children’s home a free spirit not looking forward to following new rules, respecting a new set of parents and lliving with a bunch of people I did not know. The fact that a Christian organization wanted anything to do with me was baffling. Was I lovable? I doubt it! But it did not matter to anyone at CCHO. I struggled with the rules and cooperating with others, yet they loved me. There were times I acted out in defiance, yet Ma and Pa celebrated my victories and worked with me through my failures, all while showing me love like I had never known. I joined the Norwayne High School International Thespian Society my junior year, and on the first night of “Arsenic and Old Lace,” Ma and Pa were at the show with several of my brothers and sisters from cottage two.