One More - Thursday
TODAY’S VERSE
Luke 15:20
“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (ESV)
This fall will mark 10 years that my wife and I have attended the Lexington Campus together. The divine irony in this is that our Southland stories actually began before we even started dating. While she was faithfully attending the 608 service at the Nicholasville Campus, I was sporadically slipping in and out of the back row at our Danville Campus.
My college years were hands down the most prodigal season of my entire life. Even typing the previous sentence seems like an understatement. I could attribute this to a number of factors: change in routine, lack of discipline, newfound sense of freedom, unwise decision-making, and the list goes on. No excuses; just examination and explanation.
Like the younger son in Jesus’ final parable, I vividly remember having one of those “come to your senses” moments (v.17). That’s a different story for a different time, but let’s just say I was too ashamed to even show up at any church, including this one. I was convinced I had gone too far and done too much, and my story was just too messy for God to redeem.
But even when I felt unworthy to come to God, He kept pursuing me through my friend, Chrys. And instead of being met with judgment and condemnation, I was met with mercy and grace. I’m a living testimony of how God’s kindness leads to repentance (Romans 2:4). It hasn’t been a perfect trek back home, but by God’s grace, I eventually made it.
My friend Scott Hatfield once said, “Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” I couldn’t agree more. That’s why I’m so grateful that where my sin increased, God’s grace abounded even more (Romans 5:20). And just to be clear, grace isn’t freedom to sin; grace is freedom from sin.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever fully comprehend God’s grace on this side of heaven. But what I can tell you is this: Until my college years, grace was a foreign concept to me because not every prodigal starts off as a prodigal…
APPLICATION
Remind yourself of God’s everlasting love by carving out some time to read, study, and meditate on Romans 8:31-39 today. If you’re looking for texts to have anchored in your heart and in your soul through memorization, this is one of them.
PRAYER
Father, when the lies of the enemy try to convince me that I’ve done too much or gone too far, reorient my mind and heart to this biblical reality according to Romans 8: There is no condemnation, and there is no separation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.