Prodigal Living
Daily Reading
“Not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” (Luke 15:13)
THE story of the prodigal son’s fall into sinful living is repeated in the lives of many in every age. From our verse we note the celerity in his fall, the country in his fall, the conduct in his fall, and the cost of his fall.
Celerity in his fall. “Not many days after.” Soon after the prodigal was given his inheritance, he went to the dogs. Riches corrupt quickly. Selfishness and greed corrupt quickly. The prodigal was selfish and he was greedy and he obtained riches as a result, but it all quickly led to his corruption.
Country in his fall. “Took his journey into a far country.” The word “far” is in reference to the prodigal’s father. The prodigal wanted to get far away from the restraining influences of his father. Spiritually this speaks of the sinner getting far away from God. The “far” country represents the crowd that is far from God the Father. When a person goes into sin, his crowd is not the godly crowd; but it is the crowd that has little to do with God.
Conduct in his fall. “Riotous living.” The word “riotous” here is translated from a word which literally means unsaving. Applied here it refers to a lifestyle that is undisciplined, loose, and devoid of character. In later verses in this story of the prodigal son, details are given of what this riotous living consisted—it involved harlots for one thing (Luke 15:30). Wine, women, and song is the typical prodigal lifestyle. And you can add gambling and other evils to it, too.
Cost of his fall. “Wasted his substance.” Later in the story we are also told that he “spent all” (Luke 15:14) that he had. Sinful living costs plenty. Not only did the prodigal lose all his money, but he also lost his morals which was even worse. Losing money is not nearly as bad as losing your morals. One of the big problems in our land today is that people value money more than morals. But losing your morals will eventually cause you to lose your money. A wicked lifestyle will put you in poverty in both character and cash.
John G. Butler, Daily Bible Reading: Sermonettes, vol. 2 (Clinton, IA: LBC Publications, 2004), 302.
Reflection
Every time I read the story of the prodigal son, I’m struck by how quickly things can unravel when we start chasing freedom without guidance. The younger son didn’t set out to destroy his life, he just wanted to do things his own way. That sounds like something I've done at times in my life. But distance from the Father always costs more than we expect.
I’ve seen the same pattern in my own life and in others: a small step away from God, then another, until suddenly the “far country” doesn’t seem so far. The good news is that the same Father who let the son go was also watching and waiting for him to come home. That’s grace. Patient, steady, and ready to restore.
If you’ve wandered, don’t waste time trying to fix yourself before returning. Just turn around. The Father’s already on the porch, running to meet you.