CSB Restoration Bible: Embracing God's Word in Difficult Seasons

By BH Publishing Group

We all face difficulty in life. The death of a loved one, financial problems, divorce, health issues, job loss . . . the list can go on and on. In the midst of these difficult seasons of life there is hope. The CSB Life Restoration Bible features relevant and applicable notes and helps focused on life restoration in an easy-to-follow format to help individuals find hope and joy as they embrace the truths and promises found in God’s Word during difficult seasons of life.
 
The key helps in this Bible include over 500 guided notes following seven Life Restoration Principles via the easy-to-remember R.E.S.T.O.R.E acrostic (Rest and Reflect–Eternal Perspective–Support–Thanksgiving and Contentment–Other-centeredness–Relationships–Exercise of Faith).  Each note is based on a key verse in God’s Word related to a specific Life Restoration Principle followed by a short devotional to help expound upon the principle before guiding the reader to the “Next Step” in the restoration journey. 
 
Other features include: A “First 30-days” devotional, Book Introductions that highlight “Restoration Themes” in each book, Restoration profiles of biblical characters and real people, Articles featuring scripture references highlighting specific biblical themes related to restoration, Over 200 “Joyful Noise” callouts of scriptures throughout the Bible to provide encouragement during the restoration journey, Topical subheadings, Two-column text, Concordance, Smyth-sewn binding, Presentation page, Full-color maps, and more.
 
The CSB Life Restoration Bible features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible® (CSB). The CSB stays as literal as possible to the Bible's original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture's life-transforming message and to share it with others.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: BH Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781462778683

Book preview

Life Restoration Bible

Copyright © 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers

Nashville, Tennessee. All Rights Reserved.

Christian Standard Bible® Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers.

Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

The text of the Christian Standard Bible may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of one thousand (1,000) verses without the written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not account for more than 50 percent of the work in which they are quoted, and provided that a complete book of the Bible is not quoted. Requests for permission are to be directed to and approved in writing by Holman Bible Publishers, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee 37234.

When the Christian Standard Bible is quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page or title page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Produced with the assistance of Livingstone, the Publishing Services Division of Barton-Veerman Co. ( www.livingstonecorp.com). Project Staff include David Veerman, Bruce Barton, Linda Taylor, Ross DeLong, Larry Taylor, Ashley Taylor, Tom Shumaker.

Proofreading was provided by Peachtree Editorial Services, Peachtree City, Georgia.

Topical index used by permission of the Barton-Veerman Company © 2018.

Printed in China

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Preface to the | CSB Restoration Bible

By Stephen Arterburn

You are holding in your hands the culmination of a dream that was birthed over ten years ago. That’s when the hope for the CSB Restoration Bible was birthed, a Bible for those who are in difficult seasons of life. If you are like me, those seasons seem to be more frequent than the easy ones. For some of us, struggle seems to be more of a reality than times without it. But in the struggle of those difficult seasons, we can come to know God better and experience his presence in a deeper and richer way. When we turn to him, we grow into a finer, more meaningful way of life full with a new sense of purpose and promise. The path and the process to a new life of purpose and promise is found in God’s Word where his truth can transform us.

Isaiah 40:8 says that the grass withers and flowers fade but the Word of God remains forever. Hebrews 4:12 states that God’s Word is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. God’s Word is powerful like nothing else on this earth, and it is at all times right at our fingertips. In all of my struggles, I have never found it lacking in what I needed as long as I was willing to do what it instructed me to do. Sadly, just reading Scripture in older translations with little to help me fully understand it made it difficult to determine the real meaning or the true truth as I call it. I needed help in knowing what God intended each passage to mean for me and the struggle I was facing. The CSB Restoration Bible is designed to make the path and process that God intends for you easy to find and follow. It can become your most valuable tool in doing the work that is needed to restore what is broken or shore up what needs to be strengthened.

To help you the most, this Bible utilizes the Christian Standard Bible translation. It is accurate, easy to read, and a great tool in clearly understanding the intent of any verse or passage. Added to this powerful translation is the result of thousands of hours of work to develop notes, devotional themes, explanations of key passages, the seven Restoration Principles, and rich insights on how to RESTORE your soul and repair redemptive relationships.

Throughout the CSB Restoration Bible, I highlight the need and benefits of rest and reflection, the value of support from others, the results of exercising our faith, and so many more areas that will impact you directly at the point of your greatest need. If you will not just read this Bible but study it daily, you will find new hope within its covers and countless innovative and powerful ways to access and experience that hope. I invite you to open up this collection of God’s Word, read it, study it, and then do what it challenges you to do. If you accept this invitation, it is my sincere belief and intense desire that you will experience a restoration—a complete life restoration—and your life will be transformed forever.

Overview of Restoration Principles

R - Rest and Reflection

This Restoration Principle focuses on taking the time to slow down—to rest and reflect on the life issue, circumstance, or difficult season we face. Through rest and reflection, we gain new insights and perspectives that help foster honesty, admission, responsibility, and a right attitude as we begin our journey toward life restoration.

Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest

(Matthew 11:28).

E - Eternal Perspective

This Restoration Principle focuses on developing an eternal perspective toward the life issue, circumstance, or difficult season. When we begin to understand who God is, and when we accept and stand on the promises and truths found in God’s Word, we are empowered to walk forward with confidence and hope in our restoration journey.

For I know the plans I have for you — this is the

Lord

’s declaration —plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope

(Jeremiah 29:11).

S - Support

This Restoration Principle focuses on having the humility and strength to ask for help and support as we continue on the path toward life restoration. We were never meant to do life alone. Hope, joy, and peace come when we humble ourselves before God, fully surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, and invite others to come alongside us to help us in our journey.

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you

(Luke 11:9).

T - Thanksgiving and Contentment

This Restoration Principle focuses on being thankful and content with God’s blessings so that we remove any obstacles that may prevent us from being good stewards of those blessings. Thankfulness and contentment bring us joy and peace as we continue this journey of restoration and grow in our relationship with Jesus.

Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus

(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

O - Other-centeredness

We all have a tendency to be self-centered, particularly in difficult seasons of life. This Restoration Principle focuses on exhibiting the love of Jesus to family, friends, coworkers, and others in need. Letting go of selfish desires and earthly security and choosing instead to focus on others and the truth of God’s Word bring us freedom and joy.

This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you

(John 15:12).

R - Relationships

This Restoration Principle focuses on restoring relationships, resolving relational conflicts, and accepting forgiveness from those we may have wronged or giving forgiveness to those who may have wronged us. Life restoration comes through living in community and right relationship with others, so that we may encourage one another, serve one another, keep one another accountable, and experience the harmony and reward of restored relationships.

Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts

(Ecclesiastes 4:9).

E - Exercise of Faith

This Restoration Principle focuses on exercising and living out our faith through service to others. This includes trusting God, applying Scripture in our everyday life, helping other Christians grow in their faith, and sharing the good news of the gospel with those who may not know Jesus. Lasting life restoration is found and sustained when we are able to share our restoration story and the hope, joy, and peace we found in God’s Word and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God

(1 Peter 4:10).

How to Use the | CSB Restoration Bible

The CSB Restoration Bible is designed with an easy-to-follow format that includes over 450 Guided and devotional style RESTORE notes placed throughout the Bible that expound upon the seven Restoration Principles through related topics and verses via an easy-to-remember R.E.S.T.O.R.E acrostic.

Rest and Reflection

Eternal Perspective

Support

Thanksgiving and Contentment

Other-centeredness

Relationships

Exercise of Faith

The RESTORE notes are where the rubber meets the road in the restoration process and are permeated with the hope, joy, and peace found in the good news of the gospel and through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Each RESTORE note always makes the next step in your restoration journey easy to find, engage, and apply by providing the Scripture reference for the next note in that Restoration Principle at the end of the entry.

Once you have worked through all the RESTORE notes for a particular Restoration Principle, the last note will point you to the first note for the next Restoration Principle. For example, on the last note for Rest and Reflection, you will be pointed to the first note for Eternal Perspective.

Each book introduction also includes a list of the RESTORE notes for each Restoration Principle found in that book.

In addition to the over 500 extensive and guided RESTORE notes, there are many other restoration-focused features and study helps to encourage you on your journey. A short description of each feature is below (an index of all RESTORE notes and the additional features listed below can be found starting on page XLV).

• Thirty Restoration Devotions—daily devotionals focused on the parables of Jesus and the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.

• Sixty-six Restoration profiles of biblical people and My Story notes from real-life people who found true and lasting life restoration through the power of Christ and the truths found in God’s Word.

• Ten Embracing God’s Word charts with multiple Scripture references for important faith and restoration topics.

• Over one hundred Joyful Noise designed callouts embedded within the biblical text of Scripture passages that offer hope, encouragement, and joy to accompany you on your journey.

• A Topical Index structured in a When you need . . . and When you feel . . . format pointing you to applicable RESTORE notes, other restoration features, and Scripture references. This also includes a What the Bible Says about . . . section.

• Bible Reading Plans to read through the entire Bible in one year or three years.

• A 52-Week Scripture Memory Plan based on fifty-two biblical topics and associated biblical concepts.

We recommend that you begin your restoration journey with the thirty days of Restoration Devotions (page XIII). Beginning with this daily devotional will help you to prayerfully evaluate where you are in your personal journey as you prepare to explore, engage, embrace, and apply the truths found in God’s Word and the restoration-focused features and study helps included in the CSB Restoration Bible.

Restoration Devotions

Introduction

Workers restoring a historic building use wrecking bars and sledge hammers. Painters rescuing a mural on canvas or plaster from the ravages of time use swabs, soft brushes, and solvent. Jesus restores lives with stories. His parables still have delight and intrigue many, while at the same time they transfix and transform the few who see in his short narratives something of their own lives. These find comfort that Jesus understands them and, in that realization, comes the hope of restoration.

Jesus’s stories have suffered heavy-handed analysis, harebrained allegorizing, and inattentive interpretations, yet they bear fruit long after the abuse of generations should have consigned them to the junkyard of clichés and outmoded tales. But while familiarity may have lessened their uniquenesses, the incisive, surgical effects of the parables on those who study them point to the compelling identity of the storyteller. Jesus knew his audience. And he knows us.

Meditating for thirty days on a single story of Jesus seems out of place in our sound-bite, instant-explanation world to remind us that some truths dawn slowly and grow gradually. Like the restoration of a painting, approaching the parables requires us to clear away the rubble of misunderstanding in order to place ourselves in the world of those who first heard the stories. Jesus does speak to us today, but we often hear him more clearly when we identify the culture, era, and setting in which he first spoke. That will guard against reading our culture into his and help us hear how clearly his parables speak into our culture. Allow Jesus’s story of the Prodigal Son to seep into the furthest corners of your soul in the weeks to come.

Note that the first week of reflections sets the stage for the parable and provides some understanding of Jesus’s teaching style, beginning with why he used parables and setting the historical and biblical context. We will dive directly into the story of the Prodigal Son on Day 8.

DAY 1

He Taught in Parables

He taught them many things in parables (Mark 4:2).

Setting the Scene

Jesus didn’t use parables as a way to teach a lesson; each parable was the lesson. A comparison of story telling and story teaching reveals a significant difference between the way truth is learned by the Western mind and the way it is grasped in the Middle Eastern mind. In the West, stories illustrate and provide examples of the stated truth. In the Middle East, a story presents the lesson-in-life from which one or more conclusions may be drawn, much like life itself.

What, then, is a parable? The term is used throughout the Bible to indicate a variety of narrative approaches that expect the hearer to understand by careful reflection. These include metaphors, similes, and even brief case studies. Parables require attention. The stories may appear at first glance to be simplistic, but they carry deep meaning. Parables don’t hide truth; they present truth in a subtle and elegant way to those willing to think.

By using parables, Jesus fit right in with the long history of teachers and prophets in Israel. The people who heard him didn’t remark that he had invented a new form of teaching. They were accustomed to storytelling teachers. But Jesus’s stories had an added quality. They were astonished at his teaching because he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not like the scribes (Mk 1:22). For those willing to listen, Jesus’s stories had a convicting, life-changing quality that communicated to those who heard them. The same is true today. He still teaches us many truths through parables.

Getting Personal

Like the prophet Nathan’s approach with King David centuries before (2Sm 12), Jesus got inside his audience’s defenses with stories that made their point before listeners realized they were being singled out.

• Which of Jesus’s parables have had that effect on you? Why?

• In what way(s) has your life changed because of this specific teaching of Jesus?

Talking to God

Lord, open my heart and mind to respond to what you have to teach me as I think about this amazing story of restoration that Jesus told when he talked about the prodigal son. Please help me see my place in the parable. Amen.

DAY 2

Accusation

This man welcomes sinners and eats with them (Luke 15:2).

Setting the Scene

In the eyes of the watchful Pharisees and scribes, so many unsavory people were flocking to be with Jesus that all of them seemed to be coming (Lk 15:1). Their complaint stemmed from their strict view of personal ritual cleanliness that went to great lengths to avoid contact with sinners. They abhorred the idea of being close to and even sharing a table with the despised tax collectors (whom they saw as traitors) and assorted other sinners.

Thus, the Pharisees and scribes complained, not to a higher authority, but to one another. They were working themselves into a righteous rage. The focus of their reaction is expressed in the word welcomes. The same term is used positively in Romans 16:2 and Philippians 2:29 with the added phrase in the Lord, to express an openhearted acceptance of someone who reflects Jesus’s way with others. The Pharisees and scribes rejected the people whom Jesus was receiving because they saw them as unfit for hospitality or any opportunity to have their condition changed. Judging sinners is an effective way to avoid offering them help. Unkindness, motivated by superior moral assumptions, continues to keep people from experiencing God’s love.

Jesus never denied that those who were drawn to him were sinners. On another occasion, he responded to a similar accusation with the blistering comment, "It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mt 9:12-13, italics added). In this situation, Jesus told three stories to demolish a dangerous misunderstanding.

Getting Personal

Rejecting people along with their sins is easier than accepting people while not affirming their sinfulness. Yet, since we are all sinful enough in some way to be unfit as flawless examples, why wouldn’t we want to treat others in the same way that we long to be treated?

• When have you been critical of someone for associating with sinners? Why?

• What would have been a better way to respond?

Talking to God

Thank you, Father, for the reminders that I need to learn humility from your Son in order that I might exercise the proper balance between justice and mercy toward others. Help me in this way to be more like Jesus. I pray in his name, amen.

DAY 3

Big Picture

He answered, Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them (Matthew 13:11).

Setting the Scene

All of Jesus’s parables have in common the perspective he had as the eternal heir of the kingdom of heaven. His stories reveal ordinary, everyday interactions as the places where God is at work bringing about the restoration of a ruined creation. In the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus said, But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Mt 6:33), he wasn’t just giving an instruction for living; he was also describing his own way of life. Jesus’s thinking and acting offer the ultimate model for us. The parables showed the kingdom’s perspective. They didn’t shut people out; they presented glimpses of the kingdom of heaven for those ready to see and hear. Jesus welcomed those ready to enter, people like the tax collectors and sinners. Those who were hostile, vaguely interested, or distracted remained unaffected and outside the kingdom.

When Jesus referred to the kingdom, what did he mean? When he eventually informed Pilate My kingdom is not of this world (Jn 18:36), he didn’t say, "My kingdom is not in this world." For Jesus, kingdom wasn’t about territory but about relationship and authority. Whenever God’s sovereignty and direction are acknowledged, the kingdom is operating. Perhaps a better way of understanding Jesus’s words is to think in terms of kingship rather than kingdom.

Citizenship in Jesus’s kingdom means having a relationship with him. If we recognize Christ as Lord and King of our lives, we are under his kingship. Salvation is a change of citizenship. Colossians 1:13-14 describes how this change occurs: He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Getting Personal

The key to understanding Jesus and his message is to look at life from his point of view, to see the big picture. Christ’s kingdom is not of this world but in the lives of all who trust in him as Savior and Lord.

• What is the status of your eternal citizenship today?

• How does Colossians 1:13-14 describe your experience with Jesus?

• Before you claim citizenship in Christ’s kingdom, consider this: In what ways are you living as someone who has been rescued and transferred into his kingdom?

Talking to God

Thank you for rescuing me, Father. Thank you for making me part of your family and a citizen of your kingdom. Forgive me when I fail to show those around me a life of freedom and genuine love that ought to flow from all you have done for me. I ask this in Jesus’s name, amen.

DAY 4

Participants

All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to him. And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining (Luke 15:1-2).

Setting the Scene

We find at least six groups in the audience of Luke 15. The tax collectors were a hated minority of Jews who cooperated with the Romans by gathering the taxes from a subjugated people and skimming from the proceeds for themselves. Sinners refers to the ragtag lower rung of society made up of prostitutes, beggars, and those considered unfit to mingle with common folk. The Pharisees were the spiritual conservatives, proud defenders of God’s Word and secure in their righteousness. The scribes were preservers of the written law, carefully reproducing the documents that represented and commented on God’s law. A few people from ordinary walks of life, curious about Jesus, probably were present as well. The disciples rounded out the crowd that day.

Determining a pecking order does the same thing in religion as it does in henhouses. The process puts someone at the bottom. Was the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes against Jesus or against the unsavory people showing up to hear him? They said, This man welcomes sinners and eats with them (Lk 15:2). Their complaint allowed them to dismiss both Jesus and the rest of his audience. The tax collectors and sinners were unacceptable; and because Jesus welcomed them, he was also unacceptable. Even as they rejected both Jesus and others in his audience, Jesus graciously invited all to come home to his Father.

This interaction provides a vivid example of the description in John 1:11-12, He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name.

Getting Personal

Complaining is one of the easiest holes to fall into; and once we land in its depths, we quickly make ourselves at home. Griping tends to multiply and spread through life until every circumstance triggers more fault finding and anger. Complaining usually indicates that we’ve made a choice not to respond to life in a healthy way.

• How readily do you engage in negative criticism?

• In what places and situations do you tend to be most critical of people and institutions?

• Why, do you think?

Talking to God

Lord, I realize that when I complain, I am often finding fault with you. In rejecting immediate circumstances or even other people, I am also rejecting your role in my life. Forgive my tendency to consider my comfort, interests, and preferences to be of chief importance. Teach me to desire your will first even when it forces me to accept inconvenience and to change my attitudes. I know this is part of what it actually means to call you Lord, Lord Jesus. Amen.

DAY 5

One Answer; Three Stories

So he told them this parable (Luke 15:3).

Setting the Scene

On our way to the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, we pass through two other stories. Luke introduces the trilogy as a single parable. The similarities between the stories are striking. They seem to indicate that part of Jesus’s purpose was to drive home at least one point with increasing intensity. Yet, as we will see next time, these three short accounts also have significant differences.

All three stories begin with a painful loss. One sheep among a hundred wanders away unnoticed; one coin becomes misplaced; a son leaves. Jesus was using a common experience of loss to awaken compassion in his critics and show compassion to his audience. Attentive listeners would see themselves as the valued sheep, coin, and son. Jesus may have wanted his hardened opponents to see themselves as possible shepherds, caring housewives, or loving fathers. They would have to repent over the way they had been looking at others. To do so would require a big change.

Each parable also includes a moment of finding: the stray sheep rescued, the coin located, and the son suddenly finding himself. The sheep and coin cannot participate in their rescue; they merely wait to be found. The son must recognize his lost-ness as the first step to being found.

All three stories end with a celebration. The joy of return eclipses the pain of loss. The repeated punchline of gladness must not have interested most of Jesus’s critics. But always possible was that one or two of them might suddenly find themselves and come home.

Getting Personal

Our experiences of losing, finding, and celebrating form a familiar pattern we see in life. But thinking of the things we’ve lost is always easier than acknowledging that we are lost. These escalating similarities that Jesus used have a way of getting behind our defenses and confronting us.

• What was needed for you to realize and admit that you were lost?

• How and when did God find you?

Talking to God

Lord, thank you for your patience in showing me my proneness to wander and the times I have been lost. Thank you for welcoming me home when I did not deserve your forgiveness. Please keep my eyes open to see all you want to show me. In Jesus’s name, amen.

DAY 6

When Difference Matters

Now when he heard this, he said, It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners (Matthew 9:12-13).

Setting the Scene

While the three parables Jesus told in Luke 15 share significant similarities, the differences in the stories are also meaningful. The lost objects are not only different from each other, but they also fall into very different categories. The first is a mindless animal; the second, an inanimate coin; the third, an intelligent, though immature, human being. The sheep and coin represent value lost; the son represents value wasted. The sheep was helpless, the coin, clueless, and the son, hopeless. In the first story, the wandering is incidental; in the second, it’s accidental; in the third, it is stubborn and intentional.

The first two stories focus on the simple relationship between an object and its owner. The last story unfolds a complex family structure with multiple relationships that need to be made right. Three relationships are featured: father and younger son, father and older son, and younger and older sons. The third story is unique in that no searching takes place. The shepherd scours the countryside until he finds the sheep, and the woman dismantles her house in search of the coin. But the father waits for the son to come to his senses.

The differences in the stories reveal Jesus’s hierarchy of values. Objects and animals are worth looking for, but people are worth waiting for. With objects, no free will is involved. With personal relationships, however, a free will is in play. As we move into the story of the lost son in the days to come, we will clearly see that Jesus wanted his third story to make an indelible impression. He made it decisively different from the other two. The people he wanted to reach were not objects to be found; they were lost persons to be rescued and restored. When we read it, we join his audience.

Getting Personal

• When you read these three stories in a row, how do they impact you?

• In what ways do you sense Jesus moving closer to you as he describes, with increasing intensity and feeling, the longing that he has for you to come home?

Talking to God

Thank you, God, for all you have done to reach my heart and mind. You are unpredictably persistent in all your ways. Thank you for even using simple stories to change my life. Amen.

DAY 7

Life Lessons

These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come (1 Corinthians 10:11).

Setting the Scene

Each of the three parables Jesus told in Luke 15 includes at least one person, but the third parable showcases a collection of personal dynamics that display God at work. One of the best ways to grasp the lessons and truth God has for us in his Word is to identify the people in Scripture and reflect on their responses to life and to God.

The parable of the prodigal features three main characters: a father and two sons. Perhaps a minor fourth character is the farmer who hired the younger son in the far country, who is worth mentioning because Jesus points out that no one else there was willing to give him anything. The father’s servants back home have a small supporting role. Doubtless the younger son had numerous people willing to assist him in squandering his newfound wealth.

As we read this story, we can give special attention to the way various people impacted the life of the younger son. The central storyline revolves around the son’s choices, but others influenced the outcome of his journey away from home and back again. Each person, to some degree, helped or hindered the young man’s progress, sometimes unintentionally. For example, the friends in the far country were happy to join him in wasting his inheritance, but they also made his moment of truth come more quickly when they deserted him. The pig farmer needed a field hand; the young man needed to get to the end of his rope. God brought people across his path that provided the best opportunities for him to see how very far he was from where he really wanted to be. He had taken his home for granted and assumed that escaping it was the answer. His real need, however, the same need of his older brother, was to want to be home. But a painful journey was necessary to bring him full circle.

Getting Personal

Every day various people help or hinder us on our way to experiencing all God has for us. We do the same for them. The question is, are we actively seeking to do good or simply wandering through life, not paying attention to how we influence people? Pray regularly that God would use you to positively affect others.

• With whom do you plan on interacting today?

• How do you think you might be able to be a positive influence on each one?

Talking to God

Spirit of God, I am not wise enough to always know how to help others, but teach me not to avoid doing what I do know and guide me to learn how I may do better in assisting others on their way. Thank you for the way you’ve used others in my life. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen.

DAY 8

The Son’s Preparation

He also said: A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them (Luke 15:11-12).

Setting the Scene

As we have seen, this is a parable, a teaching story. As far as we know, Jesus was not talking about an actual family he knew, with a father and two sons, and he gave no backstory, family history, or other details. We can use our imaginations, however. In a situation like this, we can be pretty sure that the son wouldn’t suddenly decide to ask for his inheritance and skip town. He must have been thinking and planning for days and even months. Perhaps the lure of the distant country and the pleasures it offered drew him away. Or, chafing under his father’s restrictions and the continual reminder of his model older sibling, he wanted freedom to make his own decisions about life. Or, maybe as an older adolescent, he wanted to break free, find himself, and make his own way in the world. He may have often thought or even voiced to his father or brother, Stop telling me what to do!

Whatever the motivation, the younger son planned, probably chose the right words to say and time to say them, and made his move. Pride took him away. He wanted to be on his own, the master of his own fate.

In addition to rehearsing his speech, how else would this young man have prepared? He knew the direction he wanted to go—away from home and to the other place he had heard so much about. But how would he get there, and what would he take—the substance of most normal preparations. The story hints that he probably thought all he needed was the money and that he would be able to buy everything he needed on his journey and at his destination. He doesn’t seem to have given much thought to anything else about his adventure.

Getting Personal

Self-reliance and independence are highly valued in society, and we certainly don’t appreciate living under tight rules and other restrictions. Thus, we can understand this young man wanting to leave home and make his own way in the world. But, if we’re honest, we can also sense the draw of temptations offered in the attractive destination. So, whether during adolescent rebellion, midlife crisis, or alluring enticement, we can be tempted to cash in and take off, leaving family and faith in the dust.

• When have you felt hemmed in and have wanted to break free?

• What distant countries seem exciting and tempting?

• How have you dealt with those fantasies of leaving home?

Talking to God

Father, I admit that sometimes I fantasize about going where I shouldn’t go and doing what I shouldn’t do. I know that at these times I am being drawn away and enticed by [my] own evil desire (Jms 1:14). Please change my desires and keep me focused on living for you. In Christ’s name, amen.

DAY 9

The Son’s Demand

The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me’ (Luke 15:12).

Setting the Scene

Here, again, we need to use our imaginations, especially because we have no audio of Jesus telling the story to hear the son’s tone of voice. But in the phrase Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me, we sense not a request, but a demand. No softening preamble, I’ve been thinking . . . or What would you think about . . . or I would like to try ________. What do you think?

Also, this was not a teenager asking for a bigger allowance or a young man wanting a loan for a business venture. This son was saying, in effect, I know that when you die, I’ll inherit half the estate. I can’t wait. Give it to me now, and I’m gone—I’m out of here! He didn’t even hint about how he would use the money. Total disrespect.

For those listening to Jesus, the demand made by the younger son was an insult worthy of death. The Pharisees knew the command to Honor your father and your mother (Ex 20:12) and that the death penalty was prescribed for extremely rebellious children (Lv 20:9; Dt 18:18-21). So this was a religious/theological issue. The son’s demand also violated cultural norms: In Jewish society, the father was the authority in the home, and children were expected to humbly submit and obey. The son’s actions would have been humiliating for the father and scandalous for the family.

We can also wonder how the boy expected his father to respond. With anger? Frustration? Sadness? Certainly not indifference. Whatever the supposed response, he expected to be given his inheritance. Maybe he was taking advantage of his father’s love for him. The son certainly was taking him for granted.

Getting Personal

God is our Father, and we often talk with him about what we need or want. He loves us and says we can come to him as a beloved child, with boldness (Heb 4:16). Too often, however, we approach him carelessly with our self-centered requests. Even if we aren’t planning a sinful trip, we do well to consider how we relate to our loving Father.

• When do you tend to take God for granted: when you are content and life is going well; when you have a need; or when you are experiencing pain, loss, or fear and feel desperate? Why?

• The Lord’s Prayer begins, Your name be honored as holy (Mt 6:9). How can you honor God in your prayers, especially with your requests?

Talking to God

Dear Father, I am so grateful that you are my Father. Forgive me for taking you for granted and for treating you as merely a dispenser to grant my every wish, even if it would be harmful to me. Thank you for loving me and for giving me the freedom to make choices on life’s journey. Please give me the strength to do what honors you. In Jesus’s name, amen.

DAY 10

The Son’s Journey

Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country (Luke 15:13).

Setting the Scene

Again, the story gives few details, but this sentence provides three short phrases that are telling.

• Not many days later implies that the boy left as soon as he could. We may wonder what could have compelled him to want to get away. What was he leaving? A loving father, a brother, comfort, security, a stable environment—but at this point all those positive features meant nothing to him. He was determined to leave, to strike out on his own down the road away from home, even though he didn’t know for certain what awaited him at his destination.

• Gathered together all he had implies finality—the young man was leaving for good. This wasn’t a trip or a fling; it was a life change. Not only was this son moving out, he was moving on. He didn’t plan on returning anytime soon. We don’t know the amount of his share of the estate (15:12)—evidently a substantial financial resource—but everything he gathered had come from his father.

• Distant country reveals that this son wanted significant separation from his past and everything associated with it. His new address wouldn’t be nearby but distant. At this point, he didn’t know where he would be living except that it was far from home, where no one would know him.

The boy traveled, but we don’t know how. He must have walked much of the way, but perhaps he used a first-century version of hitchhiking. Because his destination was distant, the journey probably took several days. During that time, what was he thinking and feeling? Probably relief and exhilaration for finally doing what he had been dreaming about and excitement as he anticipated all the thrills the new place would offer. He probably wasn’t feeling regret or guilt or planning very far into the future.

Whatever the son’s reasons for leaving, he wanted to get as far away as possible as soon as possible, and he was on his way.

Getting Personal

Daily we are confronted with difficult people, frustrating situations, resource needs, conflicts, and pain. When those build, we can imagine ditching it all and starting over. At other times, we can fantacize about traveling miles from home where we can be anonymous. After all, what happens in the distant country stays in the distant country!

• When recently have you imagined escaping from your present problems and starting over? What stopped you?

• What can you do to take advantage of the resources and relationships that God has given you here and now, instead of wishing for something better or more exciting?

Talking to God

Jesus, I confess that I have thought, especially during times of struggle and pain, about leaving and traveling far away. And while still physically present, at times I am distant emotionally from those I love. Help me, Savior, to focus on what you have given me instead of imagining a better life somewhere else. Amen.

DAY 11

The Son’s New Life

Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. Then he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs (Luke 15:13-15).

Setting the Scene

Eventually, the young man reached his destination—the distant country. His activities in that place are described only with the statement, squandered his estate in foolish living. Other Bible translations use wild or reckless to describe the son’s lifestyle. In other words, having no restraints and giving in to all his impulses, he exhausted all his resources. We can imagine the younger son spending freely, going from party to party. Perhaps he had an entourage, people who flattered him, pretending to enjoy his company as long as he was buying the drinks and more. Later we read the older son’s conclusion that his formerly flush brother had devoured [his] assets with prostitutes (15:30)—a real possibility.

Whether all this happened quickly or over several years, eventually the boy was broke. That’s when the famine hit. The timing couldn’t have been worse. His pretend friends left, and everyone was scrounging for food. He was free, on his own, just as he had planned! But with no family or other safety net, the young man was destitute—he had nothing—and desperate. He needed some way to support himself. He needed some place to live. He needed to eat. So, we find him hired out to a farmer.

What a life reversal! Previously, this young man had a secure and comfortable home, warm bed, and plenty to eat; now, he was vulnerable, cold, and hungry. Not long ago, he had sat at the table with a father and brother who loved him; now he was alone. Before beginning this adventure, hired workers (15:17) would do the dirty work at his home; now he was slopping the pigs.

Getting Personal

A profound biblical principle is that whatever a person sows he will also reap (Gl 6:7). In other words, thoughts, attitudes, and actions have consequences. When we make poor decisions, God often allows us to experience the results. Usually our self-centeredness gets us in trouble. In this story, we can see several bad decisions: disrespecting the father, asking for the inheritance, traveling far from home, mismanaging money, and, certainly, leading a destructive lifestyle.

• Divide your life into thirds. In each third, think about one or two bad decisions you made. What were the consequences for each? What happened to get you back on track?

• Today, in what situations do you think you might be tempted to make poor or even self-destructive choices? What can you do to make sure you do what is right instead?

Talking to God

Holy Spirit, I know that you are working in me, helping me want to do what is right (Php 2:13). Day by day, moment by moment, I want to submit to your leading and live God’s way. Through Christ I pray, amen.

DAY 12

The Son’s Desperation

He longed to eat his fill from the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one would give him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!’ (Luke 15:16-17).

Setting the Scene

Remember, Jesus was talking to a Jewish audience. So, when he spoke about the young man feeding pigs and even longing for the pods, the listeners would have understood the depth of the boy’s desperation. For Jews, pigs were unclean, and pious Jews (especially Pharisees) would have nothing to do with anything associated with those animals. Pigs, though they have divided hooves, do not chew the cud—they are unclean for you. Do not eat any of their meat or touch their carcasses—they are unclean for you (Lv 11:7-8).

This boy was in the pen, feeding the pigs and trying to eat their fare. The story hasn’t told us anything about the young man’s religious background, but we can assume that he was a Jew. There he was, so far from home in every aspect of life: physical, social, moral, emotional, and spiritual.

Jesus said, When he came to his senses. This means the young man understood his condition, that he was totally bankrupt. Jesus didn’t say that the boy decided on a course of action to get out of his mess, another self-centered plan. No—he had stopped running and was ready to be rescued and restored.

What causes people to come to their senses? How much time is needed? How many life reversals? This desperate situation didn’t happen suddenly. Along the way, in stages, the son lost all his money and friends and, probably, his health. But his hunger and time in the pigsty finally got his attention. Then his mind drifted to home, the place from which he had run so far. Starvation caused him to remember the meals he had enjoyed at the family table and the realization that many of [his] father’s hired workers have more than enough food. He knew what he had to do.

Getting Personal

Some of the most difficult people to reach with the gospel are those who seem to have it all: fame, fortune, friends. They are healthy, wealthy, and influential, with no apparent or felt needs—until an addiction, divorce, poor investments, reckless spending, business failure, doctor’s diagnosis, natural disaster, death of a loved one, or just the aging process causes them to reevaluate their life’s trajectory, values, and relationship with God. That’s when they come to their senses.

Solomon wrote, So remember your Creator in the days of your youth: Before the days of adversity come, and the years approach when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them’ (Ec 12:1).

• When you wandered (or ran) away from God, what caused you to come to your senses?

• Who do you know who needs a wake-up call? What can you do to help them see that they are headed in the wrong direction and need to turn for home?

My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins (Jms 5:19-20).

Talking to God

O dear Father, right now I’m thinking of ____ and ____who need you desperately but don’t know it. Please convict them of sin, and help them come to their senses and turn to you. Show me how I can be part of this restoration process. Amen.

DAY 13

The Son’s Repentance

‘I’ll get up, go to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers’ (Luke 15:18-19).

Setting the Scene

Having finally realized his true condition, the desperate young man must have been filled with disgust for himself and with sorrow and regret. He knew he had wronged and hurt his father deeply. We know he was sincere because of his admission that he had sinned against heaven. He didn’t rationalize his condition or the behavior that had put him there. His intended words to his father didn’t include statements such as, I made a mistake or People took advantage of me or even, I was immature, and I’ve learned. He understood the gravity and reality of his situation: he had sinned with his thoughts, words, and actions.

Repentance is the first word of the gospel message, the first step. It means admitting our offense and turning away from sin. But we must also turn toward God: repent and believe. In preparing the way for Jesus, John the Baptist preached Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near! (Mt 3:2). Then he pointed people to the Savior: Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn 1:29). Jesus proclaimed, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! (Mk 1:15). Being sorry for our sins is the first step, but it is incomplete. We must also believe.

So, the son decided to return to his home and his father. He knew what he had to say, and his short speech has three parts, three sentences:

• I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

• I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.

• Make me like one of your hired workers.

The last time we heard the younger son speak to his father, he had said, with the attitude of prideful entitlement, Give me the share of the estate I have coming to me (Lk 15:12). Now his speech sounds much different—humble and contrite. In the first, he asserted his right as a son. Here he planned to say, I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.

Getting Personal

Repentance is not simply feeling bad about what has happened. And it’s not merely saying, I’m sorry. Many who use those words mean, I’m sorry that what I did made you feel bad or I’m sorry that I got caught. True repentance is deep and genuine sorrow for what we have done, taking full responsibility for our actions and admitting our wrong. The son knew he had to get up (turn away from his current situation), go (travel home to his loving father), and say (confess).

• When did you first realize that you were a lost sinner in need of the Savior?

• How did you come to put your faith in Christ?

• What role does repentance play in your life today?

Talking to God

My Savior, I admit that my repentance is not always sincere. Often, I’m just saying the words. Sometimes I’m just sorry that my sin was discovered. Forgive me. I want to be your person, to live your way. I want people to know that I am your child. In your name, amen.

DAY 14

The Son’s Return

So he got up and went to his father (Luke 15:20).

Setting the Scene

In this story, we see the son deciding to go home and then actually making the trip. This was his first step of faith.

The trip home must have seemed to take forever. On his previous journey, he had been filled with anticipation about what he would do in his new surroundings. Now, feeling remorseful and guilty, he slowly made his way back, not knowing what to expect but hoping for the best, at least to be accepted as a hired worker. He was ready to accept anything—perhaps expecting rejection or punishment for his shameful behavior—just as long as he was accepted back into the house.

This is the essence of saving faith. The son admitted his sin and expressed his deep sorrow for it (I have sinned against heaven and in your sight—15:18); acknowledged his unworthiness (I’m no longer worthy to be called your son—15:19); left that sinful way of life behind (he got up), and moved forward, toward love and forgiveness (went to his father), submitting himself to his father with no conditions. Note that he had said, I’ll get up, go to my father (15:18); he was trusting that his father would be there when he arrived.

Scripture continually affirms that believing facts about God is important but not enough: You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder (Jms 2:19). We must trust him fully, forsaking anything that would stand in his place, and commit our lives to him.

Getting Personal

Our natural tendency—consciously or unconsciously—is to place conditions in our relationship with God. We may pray something like, Get me out of this mess, and I’ll do what you want. We may donate time or money to the church expecting some sort of earthly or heavenly reward. Or we may assume that following Christ will lead to health and prosperity. But God wants us to trust him completely, no strings attached, fully accepting his decisions and plans.

• When have you felt far from your heavenly Father?

• What drew you back to him?

• What steps do you need to take to be restored in your relationship with God?

Talking to God

Lord, forgive me for putting conditions in my prayers, in my relationship with you. I love you; I trust you; I fully submit to you, no strings attached. In Christ’s name, amen.

DAY 15

The Father

He also said, A man had two sons (Luke 15:11).

Setting the Scene

Now that we have followed the younger son’s adventure for a few days, let’s go back to the beginning and catch up with the father in this story. Before we can compare this father to our own fathers, or even think about other fathers we’ve known, we need to consider how Jesus and his audience used the term father.

As we saw earlier, in Jesus’s day, a father held the life of his family and their future in his hands. His word and authority were not to be challenged. If they were, swift and harsh punishment was expected to follow, including the possibility of death. The people in Jesus’s audience would have been expecting similar responses from the father in the story, based on the general view of fathers (in many ways still prevalent) in the Middle East.

But the father in Jesus’s story was a different sort, and he repeatedly challenged their expectations. As we look at the father of the prodigal, we will see a very remarkable parent. Jesus will also provide a definition of what the term father meant to him in speaking about his own heavenly Father. The central character trait embodied in the father of the story is love. It is the underlying answer that explains every action by the father in dealing with his two boys. (The fact that he has two children is a simple way of saying God has many.) But, as we will see, the father treated each child with love.

While the Old Testament includes references to God as Father (for example, Dt 32:6; Ps 2:7), those uses tended to be formal rather than personal and intimate. Jesus departed from the norm, referring to God as his Father in a way that was noticed by his audiences as a claim about his own identity. Clearly, to describe God as having qualities of a father is one thing; it is quite another to address him as Father. But loving the Father and being loved by him are two sides of the greatest relationship anyone can have.

Getting Personal

Many struggle with feelings of disappointment, fear, and even anger when hearing the word father. The startling responses of the father in Jesus’s parable are in different ways as countercultural and politically incorrect now as they were in Jesus’s time.

• What positive memories do you have of your father? What negative ones?

• In what ways have those memories and feelings affected your view of God as Father?

• How willing are you to meet the Father in Jesus’s story on his terms and let him treat you as another of his children?

Talking to God

Dear God, I am grateful to be able to call you Father. As I have seen myself repeatedly in the story of the prodigal, I now see myself before a Father who loves me as you do. Thank you for the joy and freedom of returning again and again to the thought that you are my Father in heaven, who has the very best plans for me in mind and has made them possible through your Son, Jesus. In his name I pray, amen.

DAY 16

The Father’s Releasing Love

The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them (Luke 15:12).

Setting the Scene

As highlighted on Day 9, to those listening to Jesus, the son’s request was a capital offense. It was the son’s way of declaring that he considered his own father dead and the estate open for disbursement. No hint is given about the father’s feelings, only that he proceeded to split up his estate between his sons.

The father released his resources and then released his son. The son’s success in liquidating his newly acquired assets assumes the permission of the father. The fabric of a father-son relationship was being torn, but the father’s responses were already laying the groundwork for restoration. He didn’t return hurt when hurt was received. The audience would have expected retaliation and rejection; instead, they were shown a loving father painfully allowing his son to hurt him and then walk away.

A relationship between two people always involves more than one will. Either party can love the other with unreturned love, but a loving relationship requires shared love, willingly offered by each person. God’s love is the unconditional constant in our relationship with him. The conditional and intermittent aspect that allows or prevents a loving relationship is our love for God.

Clearly, the father in Jesus’s story loved his son, but the son had decided that he did not love his father. He loved his freedom, his funds, and his future prospects more, and they provided a temptation he couldn’t resist. The father recognized the son’s determination and let him go on his way, risking permanent loss in exchange for the possibility of a future reconciliation if the son were to change his mind. The father’s