All That I Have Is Yours

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2014-15&version=NIV

'My son', the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.' - Luke 15: 31

I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home with amazing parents in a fairly sheltered area (dairy farm in the middle of Nebraska). Because of those things combined with the grace of God, I never really went through a period of rebellion or walking away from God. So I never really related to the story of the prodigal son - or at least not the son who left. To be honest, I related very well to the older brother who stayed at home and continued to work for his father. Quite frankly, the rebellious son made me a little mad - I could connect to what I now realize is a 'self-righteous' anger of the older brother.

Here's how that played out in my life. As mentioned earlier, I am most like the older brother that stayed home. I worked hard for my heavenly father, I tried hard to be very obedient, thinking that by doing those things I was being a good daughter. I realize now that I spent a lot of time trying to prove to him that I was worthy of his grace, favor, and blessings. And to be honest, it was tiring. But then I would watch people who had walked away, who had walked in rebellion, turn to God and he would shower down amazing blessings - both spiritual and physical. Their faith exploded, they basked in God's grace and rested in his mercy. And they received lavish blessings that my heart so greatly desired.

"Not fair!" I wanted to shout. How was it that I lived what I would say was 'close to God', walked the way he commanded me to, was obedient and even more so worked so hard for his kingdom, and yet he never even gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But I still didn't get it, I kept working while - worked harder still. Certainly I could prove to God that I was deserving. Certainly I could figure out how to get him to finally open up his hand and kill the fatted calf for me. In the end, I only ended up more exhausted and still without what I desired.

Finally one day I remember sitting down on the floor in my bedroom to pray - a prayer that eventually turned into gut-wrenching tears of frustration, exhaustion, and even anger. I remember crying, "Lord, I don't get what you want from me, because I have nothing left to give." And I very distinctly heard God whisper, "Now, sweet girl, I have something I can work with." And then he began forming in my mind a picture of what his grace, true grace, was all about. He led me to understand that all along everything he had for me was mine - all I had to do was ask. He made me see that is was a free gift - that he didn't want to give it because I worked for it because he wanted me to know his love. He didn't want to give it because I deserved it - for that was impossible - and besides, he wanted to the glory for this amazing gift and had no intention of sharing it with me. For the first time I got that I could simply ask my father for his lavish gifts and expect that he would answer, simply because he loved me, because I was his daughter, and he desired to share everything he had with me.

That was a faith-defining moment in my life. I was filled with such an amazing peace and an indescribable joy - and I think I literally felt the chains of legalism that bound me to striving to earn God's favor for so long just fall off. I remember getting up off of my floor and just pacing through my house as my mind formed around this new freedom, around what this meant for me. I paced because it was so amazing and so transforming that I couldn't sit still. And while my feet where pacing, my heart was dancing. Such an amazing, amazing grace - a free gift from a lavish, loving father.

My friends, I pray that whether you relate best to the rebellious son or the older son, that you would know and understand the grace of your Daddy God. It is a free gift - one he delights to give because he loves you so deeply. It doesn't matter whether you've walked closely to him or walked away from him. He celebrates you because he has adopted you. He's a Daddy God who only asks one thing - that you decide to dwell in His house, in His love, knowing that all that he has to offer is yours.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" - 1 John 3:1

God's blessings precious ones!

Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels