Prodigal Day 1
The Story Teller

Luke 15:11-32
Matthew 18:10-14
I John 3:1-10

“Speck story tonight, Daddy?! Please!” beg little voices hanging on Daddy’s arms before bed. A grinning Daddy swoops up one of our treasures and dramatically begins,
“Once upon a time in a far, far away land, there lived two little girls named HannahBelle and LydieBelle and their trusted horse named Jobo….

A couple of years ago, Daddy began telling “Speck Stories” before bed. Tales of grand, outlandish adventures filled with heroism and bravery sprinkled with faith, love, and sacrifice all benched in the world of people as tiny as “specks” of dust. Taking his inspiration from CS Lewis and a little of Dr. Seuss too, Daddy brings the Speck People to life at bedtime as little eyes light up and imaginations go crazy through fields of cotton candy and pools of licorice. He tells the story with images of their world, pictures they can relate to, and draws them in to think about heart and character issues.

Jesus was a story-teller too and the passionate fuel behind his stories was to help His children see the vast, deep love of the Father for them. He used the imagery of their current-day world to drive home His point and watched as, with every story, eyes widened and truths stuck deep in their hearts as they couldn’t deny the message woven behind the story.

The Prodigal Son is probably the most famous story ever told by Jesus and its imagery is rich, deep, and most often missed in our modern-day culture. Over the next three weeks, we are going to peel back the layers of culture and history and open our eyes to the simple, but rich, unfathomable love of a God who pursues each of us.

Did you know?
*          Both sons depicted in the story were heart-sick with rebellion, arrogance, and pride?
*          The story was told to an audience of Pharisees to help them see their own sin…an audience you and I identify with more than we probably care to admit, but one where God longs for us to see our sin so that we might see His hope and forgiveness!
*          Each gift the father gave the returning son (from sandals, to a robe, and a ring) were wrapped in a significance that reaches all the way to us right in the middle of our everyday life!
*          The original language is wrought with deep emotion and compassion from the father.
*          The significance of the son feeding pigs runs deep into the Law of Moses and the shaming disgrace it brings to the father holds important meaning for us.
*          The birthright given to both sons in the story carries strong implications for us today and begs us to ask the question, “what will we do with all the inheritance we’ve been given?”

If you’ve ever felt….
shame from sin,
burdened by a list of “to do” that you could never “do”,
jaded from all the good you’ve done without reward,
deserving of more than you’re getting,
the deep urge to control your circumstances,
confusion and loss for where you are in life,
fear,
abandonment,
loneliness,
you are irredeemable,
this study is for you!
The Father’s love is FOR YOU!
His grace and redemption is offered overwhelmingly to you!

At Gracefully Truthful, we are praying for your heart and ours as we dig in. We have cried over this story as we’ve seen God’s love with fresh eyes and it has transformed us! We are praying the same for you!
If you haven’t signed up to receive Journey Studies in your email, Do So Here!
Maybe you have a friend you’d like to encourage or you just would love for them to experience God in a new way, invite them to sign up!

Find your story woven into the details of this story Jesus told and discover with wide-eyes and new awareness that yes, Jesus loves you!

We are praying for transformed hearts over these next three weeks as we uncover the richness of Christ’s unconditional love; won’t you partner with us?!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!