“The Information is out there; you just got to let it in.” Part-3
I APOLOGIZE upfront that today’s introduction is a little lengthy. …So, what means this title, “The Information is out there; you just got to let it in?” I mentioned in the previous two postings that I’d eventually explain this.
FOR much of my life serving as a church elder, active and emeritus, I frequently found myself in the role of a mentor or counselor to many troubled souls; often seeking a quick-fix, silver bullet solution to a particular problem or complex issue. I’m always reminded of this fact whenever I make a medical appointment knowing that upon arrival and before seeing the doctor, I will be subject to a series of questions and tests – like checking blood pressure and weight, questions about my daily exercise and …well, you know routine. It is a known fact that lifestyle habits effect one’s health, and these routine checks help determine what may be missing or necessary for a proper diagnosis and treatment. It is no different to one’s spiritual health as well – habits of the heart and behaviors effect a soul’s well-being, and need a proper initial assessment as well.
AS such, I can attest that when I encounter a troubled individual, one thing almost always surfaces during that initial questioning period. When asked, “So, how much time do you spend each day with the Lord in prayer and scripture or devotional reading?” That question always seems to solicit the same response: a blank stare and the sound of silence.
THIS brings to mind a line from a particular TV drama, and a police detective’s sidekick who almost always has the right answer to the momentary mystery at hand, to which the detective inevitably asks, “How did you know that?” His partner’s inevitable response is, “The Information is out there; you just got to let it in.” That response almost always solicits a “chuckle” and head node acknowledgement; and nearly always comes to my mind whenever I asked that question as to how much time this struggling soul seated before me spends with their Lord each day. You see, when I think of the nearly limitless source of wisdom material and biblical truth resources available for a Christian’s instruction, there really is no reason or excuse to finding ourselves in those moments of despair without an answer in hand or heart to our dilemma of discomfort – the information is out there, we’ve just not made the effort to allowed it to enter in.
READERs of these weekly missives know that one of my favorite devotional books is titled, “None But The Hungry Heart.” That title really says it all and truly coincides with one of my favorite M&M (must memorize) verses: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” And therein you see, resides the problem.
“For all find what they truly seek.” – Aslan
Well, I leave you to muse on that as we now turn to today’s consideration from Bibleportal.com titled, “When He Came to His Senses” – Part 3 of our consideration of the Prodigal Son narrative. As with Parts 1 & 2 – again I provide below the lead-in excerpt containing at the end the link to the full on-line text. I pray you hit the link and find the blessing of reading it in its entirety.
In the inexorable riches of Christ,
Joe
Neh. 8:10; Isa 30:15; Job 2:10; Jas. 1:2; Prov. 21:30
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When He Came to His Senses
Repentance didn’t begin with guilt. It began with a memory.
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father.’” — Luke 15:17–18
Into the Word
The far country delivered exactly what it promised. Freedom. Independence. A life entirely his own.
And then the money ran out, and the famine came, and the son who had been so confident in his own sufficiency found himself in a field, feeding pigs, eyeing their food. No one gave him anything.
This is the image Jesus chose for a life lived apart from the Father. Not merely difficult. Hollow. Empty in a way that no amount of effort or earning can fill.
He Came to Himself
Four words in the original Greek carry the whole turning point of the story: εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἐλθὼν, literally, he came into himself. Something that had been absent returned. A clarity. A recognition. A memory of what home actually felt like.
Notice what the son remembers. Not his father’s disappointment. Not the shame of what he has done. He remembers the abundance of his father’s house. How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare. The first movement toward home is not guilt. It is the sudden, vivid recollection that there is something better than this.
This is what repentance looks like at its root. Not self-punishment. Not the performance of remorse. It is the moment we come back to ourselves and remember what we were made for, and find that the memory is enough to make us move.
And what we were made for is to be loved. The son did not remember his own worthiness. He remembered his father’s warmth. What moved him was not guilt. It was the memory of being loved. That was enough to make him rise.
The Shortcut We Keep Missing ….continued at: Bible Portal – When He Came to His Senses
