There was once a single father, a righteous man to all. His son and daughter, although grown now, still lived at home. His role of mother and father, while challenging at times, seemed to be going very well. He had taught them as best he could about life and love and respect and the value of intimacy in relationship and how choosing righteousness would be the pathway to success in life. He had also warned them about sin and its consequence. He plainly told them, “If you choose the sin, you also choose the consequence and the destruction it will bring to your life.
One day when father was not at home, a stranger came and engaged the children in conversation. He seemed to be a pleasant sort and what he had to say seemed very attractive, although it differed somewhat from what father had taught them. The longer they listened to the stranger, the more convinced they became that he had their best interest at heart and although his urging seemed to go against what father had taught them, they felt they could see the personal benefit of following the stranger’s advice.
When their father came home, he called for them but they didn’t answer. He continued to call while looking for them through the house. Finally they appeared from their hiding place and father immediately knew something was wrong. He asked them, “What have you done?” They explained about the stranger and their decision to follow his advice. Father was heartbroken by what he heard because he knew the loss of his children would bring suffering and as a result of their choice, it would be devastating, not to mention his own loss. His family would be separated and generations that follow would suffer the loss.
As gently as he could, he told them they would have to gather their belongings and leave the home he had prepared for them. He said, “From this day on you will have to work to provide for yourselves food, clothing and your own home. The consequence of your sin is heavy upon you. Go and find your destiny.”
The children’s choice to rebel against their fathers’ council brought devastating results. They lost the intimate love relationship they had with their father. They lost the home he had prepared for them. They lost the food and clothing he had provided for them and now they were alone and on their own without provision for the necessities of life. This was a shocking dilemma.
What do you think their reaction was to their circumstance? Naturally, we are all free to speculate about this situation any way we want. However, my purpose in this story is to consider in some detail the potential consequence of our choices.
Let’s be honest. You know how we are. We sin and when we get caught or are exposed, we like to make excuses for our actions. We may try to hide our sin or somehow cover it up. We can even stoop to blaming someone else for the choice we made, can’t we? So how do you think the children responded to their situation? Did they feel their correction was too harsh? Did they blame father for the difficulty they faced? What is this new powerful emotion they are experiencing? Could it be fear? Is this what fear feels like? Are they feeling abandoned and rejected, unjustly treated? They’d lost the safety and security of their father’s house. Now where would they go? What is their purpose for living now? What does the future hold?
They have now become orphans! They must fend for themselves. They must learn to be self sufficient and develop independent thinking. What is now their opinion of home? Where will they get their affection and attention? Will love hunger become a problem? Will their spiritual rebellion continue to surface? What will they pass on to future generations?
Friends, we are the future generations and mankind has an inheritance dating back to Adam and Eve. What have we inherited and how does that compare to Father’s plan for us? He has made a way for us to reestablish our relationship with Him. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but through Him. (Jn. 14:6) Only by the blood of Jesus Christ can we establish a personal, intimate relationship with Father. Only through Jesus can we come home where we belong and experience Father’s unconditional love for His children and be family once again. Only then can we be safe and secure in His lap as He loves on us and provides for us all that He has in His heart to do. His love is so much greater than any love we have experienced. Nothing on this earth can compare. Even as Christians we have to learn about love and about life. We must have revelation of how we have misrepresented Father’s love to the world and to each other and then repent and make the necessary corrections. If we will pursue Father, He will pursue us. (James 4:8) The results will be dramatic as we begin to see our love hunger, our spiritual rebellion, our orphan, independent thinking, our self-centeredness, our idolatry, our woundedness, our fear, our issues of abandonment and rejection, our lust and many other issues that hinder us from experiencing and expressing Father’s unconditional love for all of mankind revealed and healed! You can find a similar story in Genesis, Chapter 3.