Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So, he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘And your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So, his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I have been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat, so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
– Luke 15:25-32
Devotion
With the party underway, the elder son returns from the field to music and dancing. Once he realizes what is happening, he gets angry and refuses to celebrate the return of the prodigal. The father goes out and explains to the eldest son why it is right and fitting to celebrate his brother’s return.
The Big Question
Is the eldest son’s anger justified? If so, why? Does the father’s response surprise you? What does this parable teach us concerning God and His relationship to His creation? Why might our modern culture struggle with the truth concerning God’s grace and His heart for reconciliation?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.