A Personality Worthy of Emulation

 ¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. Luke 15:12

In the story of the father and the prodigal son, we see how the son asked his father for his share of his father's wealth while he was yet living.

Where I come from, this is regarded as a taboo, and majority of the times, the father does not honour this type of request. Instead, the father calls a family meeting consisting of extended family members and the son is asked to repeat all he has asked of his father all over again. 

At the end of this meeting, the judgement always goes in favour of the father, and against the son. In the event the son is remorseful, he might get a lighter punishment like, Pleading with his father for forgiveness or he might get a heavier punishment where he would end up paying a fine even or being subjected to cleansing which entails appealing the forefathers of that family. 

But in the story Jesus told in Luke 15:11-32, it can be seen how the father's character was the exact opposite of the son's. The son exhibited a show of total dishonour but the father honoured his son's wish anyway. 

***The son acted foolishly, but the father exhibited his wisdom so perfectly***

On one hand, the son exhibited so many undesirable characters that can be coined in one word as, IMPATIENCE. 

His IMPATIENCE made him proud, indisciplined and wasteful. IMPATIENCE brought him famine, poverty, lack, want, hunger, suffering, ingenuine friends, stress, regret, shame, guilt, and inferiority.

I am sure those he spent his fortune on during his period of riotous living promised never to leave his side and I can imagine how he must have been shattered when no one gave him to eat even the corncobs given to the pigs. Oh such hunger! Hunger so much that corncobs became desirable to eat by the son of the Lord of many.

16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. Luke 15:16(NLT)

On the other hand, the father is a personality worthy of emulation as he demonstrated this in how he loved his son regardless of what he did. All the fruits of the Spirit can be seen in the father. In relation to this post, the fruit of the Spirit that stands out most is the PATIENCE of the father. 

The father patiently listened to his son ask for his inheritance while he the father was still alive. He could have lost his temper and called a family meeting, but no. 

In patience, he divided his wealth and gave his younger son his share. He patiently overlooked his son's foolishness. 

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. Luke 15:20 (NLT)

The father was waiting patiently because we can see he saw his son a long way off from home. What an amazing father!

Never did the father complain in his PATIENCE.

Galatians 5:19 lists results that come with following the promptings of our sinful nature, Division, selfish ambition and wild parties being some of them. 

The son followed the desires of the sinful nature and got results he couldn't handle but thank God we are not without a Guide. 

The son made this mistake so that we do not repeat it. Through him, we see the end of IMPATIENCE from the beginning. Hallelujah! 

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 

Romans 15:4(KJV)

For you who has kept holding on to the Lord like the eldest son in this story, keep emulating the character of the father. Continue to be patient because all the Father has is yours. You only need to ask according to His will and you would be given as much as you need.

For you who has strayed and are overwhelmed by the consequences of impatience, I have come to let you know that regardless of how far you have strayed, if you return in genuine brokenness, there is a patient Father waiting and ready to take you back with no questions asked. 

Why not come back to your Father whose arm is outstretched, who will see you from a long way off.

Make the move to return. Return and see the Father invest all He has got on you. 

PAPA says COME!