OYBHW3D1
This week's devotionals focus on God the Father. I rely on my heavenly Father even more now that my earthly father has passed on. Day 1's reading talked about the Lord's prayer. I was taught the Lord's prayer as a child and said it daily before bed. This ritual has made the prayer a routine, thoughtless thing. Having it discussed and dissected really made the prayer come alive to me. I think I will using it much more often in the future than I have in the past.
The digging deeper part of the reading today was on Matthew 6:1-18. Our heavenly Father knows all. He knows what we need before we even ask him (verse 8). We need to serve him quietly and not broadcast our actions to the world. If we boast about how much we give, or pray loudly or complain when we fast or are sacrificing in some way, we won't receive any reward for our actions. We need to not draw attention to our actions, and by doing this, we will receive our reward in heaven.
OYBHW3D2
Today's reading was about the prodigal son. I think most of us have been in that position once or twice. I can think of several times I turned my back on God and struck out on my own, only to flounder and come crawling back to the Lord. The parables in Luke 15 tells us all that the Lord is forgiving and desires each one of His children to come back to Him. He will go to any length to have us return to His fold. Of the three main characters in the parable of the prodigal son, I most relate to the older son. I (almost) always did the right thing. In high school I studied while the other kids partied. I did a ton of extra curricular activities and volunteered. Yet, the other kids were the popular ones. They were lauded for their athletic prowess and received scholarships to college for skills that came easily to them. I who worked so hard to do well, didn't get much financial assistance at all. It all seemed so unfair! I imagine that the older son must have felt somewhat like that. Looking back, I can see how far my work ethic and other experiences have brought me. I am thankful for the path I chose. I know now that the attitude I had was wrong. It's never right to compare our lot with another's. The older brother should have had an attitude of forgiveness and thankfullness that his brother had returned.
