I thought it would be great to take one week and share some devotions from evangelist Harold Vaughn. He was a blessing to our church recently and I would love for you to get to read some of his comments.
BIBLE READING: LUKE 15
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
RING, ROBE, REEBOKS, AND A RIBEYE
We are looking today at one of the most beloved stories in scripture, the story of the prodigal son. Prodigal means a waster, one given to extravagant expenditures. This story was one of three given to confront the Pharisees and scribes with their incorrect view of God.
In this parable the younger son said to his father, “give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. “He later said goodbye and “took his journey into a far country.” While there, he ended up in the gutter, or the pigpen, because he wasted his substance with riotous living. Fortunately, this young man came to himself and decided to return to his father. He realized his father was a good father and that he and sinned against heaven and his father. He decided to go home and offer himself as a hired servant in his father’s house. But how would he be received?
When he returned, the Bible tells us his father showered him with kisses, then presented him with a robe, a ring, shoes on his feet, and a feast. The robe covered the rags and filthy clothing the young son wore and are a picture of the righteousness Jesus Christ offers to guilty but repentant sinners. (Romans 3:24) The father extended forgiveness to the son and dealt with the guilt and shame he most surely felt. The ring represented Sonship and the fact that the son would now be able to transact business in the father’s name. This meant the son was now accepted back into the family and had regained full rights. The shoes on his feet, or Reeboks, represented a change in direction the son is not walking away from the father but is now walking with the father. The fatted calf, ribeye, speaks of the satisfaction the son now enjoyed. Forgiveness, acceptance, change, and satisfaction! All of this was the result of the love of the father for the wayward son who returned having wasted his substance with riotous living.
Harold Vaughn
Sammy Frye