Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. (Luke 15:31)
In the story of the prodigal son, the two brothers suffered from antithetical thinking disorders.
The older son suffered from a sense of acute neglect. No matter what he was given, no matter what he had, he always felt left out, shafted, insignificant, and undervalued. He possessed everything; the entire estate belonged to him. Yet, he felt like he didn’t even have one goat to his name.
The younger son, on the other hand, suffered from a sense of acute entitlement. He knew that everything belonged to him, and he was going to take full advantage of it. He felt like the estate should be his, like he deserved it, and he wasn’t going to allow the father to control his enjoyment of what was rightfully his.
The older son felt as though his lot in life was to be obedient, but not rewarded. The younger son felt as though his privilege in life was to be rewarded without being obedient. Both were wrong. There is no reward without obedience, and there is no obedience without reward. God rewards those who diligently seek him. Period. You cannot seek him and not be rewarded, and you cannot be rewarded and not seek him.
At the end of the story, the father stands pleading with the older son to enter into his reward. Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. By saying you are always with me, the father makes a contrast between the older son and the younger son. The younger son left and squandered his inheritance, but you . . . you have always been, and always will be, with me. You’ve never left my side.
Obedience is proximity. To the degree that we walk in obedience to the Father, we remain by his side. But obedience is not reward. It is possible to walk in obedience but refuse to enter into your reward.
You are always with me. This statement was easy for the older son to embrace. He had not run off like his wicked brother. All that I have is yours. This statement was very difficult for the older son to embrace. He felt as if he had no portion in the father, no reward.
Which is easier for you to say? Father, I know that I am always with you? Or, Father, I know that everything that you have is mine? Until you can make both statements with a heart filled with faith and thanksgiving, you don’t know what it means to say that you are his son or daughter.
Subscribe to my blog to receive a free download of my new ebook, A Path Through Mighty Waters. All of my morning devotions are based upon the meditations prescribed in this book.
