In Luke 15 Jesus spoke:
11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons.
12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.
13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’
The word squander means to waste (something, especially money or time) in a reckless and foolish manner. The younger son wanted to make a name for himself so he went to a far country. The thing he left behind was wisdom and understanding for you need both to properly handle your inheritance, whatever it may be. Had the younger son been in communication with Our Heavenly Father and led by the SPIRIT, he surely would not have traveled to a far country with a severe famine on the horizon. Instead, he lived for “today” and wasted his resources.
Before he left home he would have never considered eating pods given to the swine. Your food preferences can change rapidly when you are in a crisis. In the famine people hoarded what they had and we find that no one gave him anything. It is clear that agape Love was not to be found in this severe famine. Had Love been found, the young man would have be sustained.
Once he finally came to his senses with a little dose of wisdom, he decided to return home knowing that the hired servants were better off than him. He also realized he had sinned against FATHER as well as his earthly father. The judgment on the land impacted those who dwelled in the land. The ultimate result of judgment was to return to where your calling lies and be restored. His father did not reject him but instead celebrated the fact that he had returned. The earthly inheritance was not an issue to the father for he knew that riches come and go. His son is what mattered.
The father was not “scarcity minded” and neither is FATHER. We must endeavor to be good stewards and not waste resources but if we don’t achieve our expected outcome, we must not condemn ourselves for the loss. If we lead a repentant life and stay close to FATHER, HE will restore what is lost. We simply need to learn our lesson. We should only step out as FATHER tells us and be sensitive to the path HE has placed before us. Sometimes the path leads back to the prayer closet because we are simply not ready for anything else. Be patient and keep your ears and eyes open. Don’t be tempted by prodigal living.