Life Ministries

 “Break My Heart” – Or – “Make My Day”
 Luke 15:11-24

    Many homes in American are suffering from the phantom father. Hundreds of men have fathered children, & simply walked away from the family— Let me tell you where I stand;  Fathering a child does not make you a father. To carry the title of “father”, carries with it great responsibilities.
    A recent report tells us that because of a lack of father figures in the Home-- in the past 30 years there has been:
550% increase in violent crime
400% increase in illegitimate births
200% increase in teen pregnancies.
300% increase in teen suicide.
And, more that 70% of all juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes. The home doesn’t need a man in the house…it needs a father!

    Someone has noticed that the word “father” appears in the dictionary just before the word “fatigued” & just after the word “fathead.” I don’t know if that is significant or not, but, Happy Father’s Day!

    In this story of the “Prodigal Son” I notice some ways in which the son broke the father’s heart… and, I find some ways in which he also made his father’s day. I won’t get very far into the story before you will be able to do the spiritual application yourself.

    The first way he broke his father’s heart was that he “withdrew” from his father’s love.  He said; “Give me my share of the estate” and then he took off! He was thought-less…He was tired of waiting for his father to die in order to receive his inheritance…He didn’t care how it made his father feel…He didn’t need his father’s care or guidance or advise…He just wanted out, and he withdrew from his father’s love…and it broke the father’s heart.
    Secondly, He “wasted” what his father gave him. Now it’s easy to see that he spent all of his money…but, what about his talents and skills and giftedness that he had learned and been given and inherited? Father’s love to give their children things – and see their faces light up when they receive what they are given with joy – But, you can make a father miserable when you have a wrong attitude and become greedy and materialistic; especially when there is no appreciation for all that the father has worked so hard and given up  to give his children…only to have them waste it and squander it away.
    Third, he “violated” his father’s morals and values. Every father wants his children to grow up with proper standards of morals and values and to stay away from things that would destroy their lives or their marriages or their relationships. Every father wants his children to marry well and be happy and produce grandchildren – “Blessed is the man whose quiver is full”! But, it breaks the father’s heart to hear the words of his son “I have sinned”! I have been flagrantly disobedient!
    To break the heavenly Father’s heart is to withdraw from His love; To break the heavenly Father’s heart is to waste all that He has given you; To break the heavenly Father’s heart is to disobey and live contrary to His morals and values. Children have the potential of breaking a father’s heart… and we as God’s children have that same potential.
    However, let’s talk about how he made his father’s day. First, he desired to restore their relationship. He returns to his father, admits he was wrong, and asks for forgiveness. How does the father receive him?...No lecture; no anger; no “I told you so”… He calls for the fattened calf, and there is a celebration! The Word says that “there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents”…
    Second, he came back with a new “respect” for his father. Have you ever noticed the difference between the way the prodigal son left and the way he returned; ( He left well dressed and rich, he came back in rags…He left clean, he came back filthy…He left in a Porche, and came back wandering down the road…He left arrogantly saying “Give me”, he came back humbly saying “forgive me.” He made his father’s day by giving him the respect that he deserved.
    Third, and this involves the other son…We make the father’s day when we love our brothers and sisters. Look at the attitude of the older brother – he was jealous – he became angry it says… and refused to go in and celebrate. He complains to his father “I have never been disobedient; I have always been a good boy; I have done everything right; yet you have never given me a celebration; You don’t bless me like this!” Then we are given the last two verses… and, if we don’t understand this, we will never truly understand the message of the prodigal son - “My son, said the father, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But, we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again! .He was lost, and now is found!”
    Some sibling rivalry is normal. I heard of triplets…three young boys who got along well. They were very loyal to one another. If one of them got into trouble they would never tattle on each other. A neighbor once asked the father, “How in the world do you know which one to punish if there is trouble?” The father said, “It’s easy, I send all three to bed without Dinner or T.V. or video games and ground them for a week. The next morning I spank the one with the black eye!”
Let’s do our best to make the Father’s day!