LESSONS FROM FASTING & FEASTING. By Pastor Fernando

Scripture:
His father said to him, “Look dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and now has come to life! He was lost, but now he is found.” Luke 15:31-32

Observation:
While the prodigal son is suffering and forced into fasting, he learns life-changing lessons. He learns how good the love of his father was and how much better life is for a slave in his father’s house than for a man living faraway from it. He is forced to fast the good things in life. Then he decides to humble himself and return to his father. He is received with great joy and the father calls for a feast to celebrate the return of his lost son. But the other brother was upset. He had many opportunities to feast with his father but he didn’t. He was so close to the father, yet so far away from his heart. He forgot the lessons in the feast.

Application:
The lessons we learn fasting cannot be forgotten while feasting. Many of us have gone through difficult seasons, sometimes because of our stubbornness and poor decisions, and sometimes because of the path God sets for us. Either way, we will be exposed to life-changing lessons as certain things and comforts are stripped away. These are the lessons learned in the fasting. But tough times are not forever. Better times are always in the horizon and our fasting will turn into feasting. The key is to never forget the lessons while fasting. Human nature forgets easily and forces people to go over and over again over the same lesson. Allowing this will make us like the jealous brother, so close to the love of our heavenly Father, yet so far away from his heart.

Jesus interrupts the story and doesn’t let us know what happens next. I think he does that on purpose to let us finish the story. For the prodigal son, I hope that he learned the lessons while fasting, and that he never forgot them while feasting in his father’s house. For the older brother, I hope that he humbled himself and joined the party. I have choices in front of me and I want to honor our father no matter what. I want to steward well the lessons learned in tough times so I can have a humble heart when I go through better times.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the lessons learned in tough times. I don’t want to learn them again. So please help me to remember them when times are better. Help me to grow in wisdom and understanding in a way the brings glory to your name. Amen!