READING: Luke 14-16
I don’t know if the contrast could be any more stark. Luke 15 resounds with rejoicing when a shepherd finds a lost sheep, a woman finds a lost valuable coin, and a father sees his wayward son returning home. Let the texts take you into these stories:
- “Then he [the shepherd] calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep’” (Luke 15:6).
- “And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin’” (Luke 15:9).
- “But the father said to his servants, ‘ . . . Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found’” (Luke 15:23).
Celebration — that’s what we must do when a repentant sinner turns to God! Bring out the cake and ice cream, and throw a party. Give not only hugs and handshakes, but also a Bible, a journal, a devotional guide, and whatever else a new believer needs to start walking with the Father. Hear the testimony of conversion, and rejoice with arms lifted and voices raised in praise! After all, a sinner come home is another person who has escaped the fires of hell.
And . . . that’s where the contrast in Luke 15 and 16 is dramatic. In Luke 15, a son took his riches, wasted them on riotous living, but then came to his senses and returned to God. Not so in Luke 16, where a rich man held tightly to his riches, even to the extent of ignoring a beggar “covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table” (Luke 16:21). His actions reflected a heart that never turned to God, and he thus found himself in hell when he died. The torment and agony he experienced there echoes in this story: “I am in agony in this fire . . . this place of torment” (Luke 16:23-24, 27-28). In that dark place, there was no celebrating.
A party or a fire.
Rejoicing or grieving.
Joyous celebrations or anguished cries.
Gathering with the family or agonizing alone.
Forgiveness or torment.
The difference really can’t be more obvious. If we come to our senses, repent, and turn to God, He welcomes us with joy. If we ignore Him and live for ourselves only, He judges us.
ACTION STEPS:
- If you are God’s child already, turn from any known sin in your life. Celebrate His grace and forgiveness.
- If you have not yet turned from your wrong and trusted Christ as your savior, ask His forgiveness today. Recognize the reality of hell.
PRAYER: “God, thank You for saving us and allowing us to escape hell. I pray for my friends and loved ones who have not yet followed You.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Luke 17-18