Faith in Grace of Grace for Faith?

Be the Seed

The Hearkening

God never gives you more than you can handle?

God vs. Santa

Judgement

They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these...







What are we to do with the prodigal child after they pay their debt to the community? Do we have a process by which we assimilate them back into the community, or do we exile them from it and force them to beg of, steal from, or otherwise live off rather than within the community? Communities, like people, often cause the problems they struggle with most.

To fully understand the importance of forgiveness and restoration, we should take a moment to review the parable of the Prodigal Son and recall how the father reacted. The son was not expected to sleep with the livestock. Instead, he was welcomed with open arms and made to feel part of the family again. The livestock would have little to offer, teach, or nurture the young man. Are we leaving our prodigals in the dung pile and then expecting them to be "productive" members of the community?

Problems cannot be solved or mitigated by turning neighbor against neighbor, that is how we create problems. Fear and factions do not exist independently, and fear is a poor motivator. Indeed, we often cause the problems we struggle with most.

God offers complete remission and restoration. Man offers conditional release and amelioration. We should emulate our God and receive His blessings or we can repeat the same mistakes of man and reap as we sow.

Blessings or Curses, God will let us make our own judgments. When we have made all of ours, He will make His.

The First shall be last and the last shall be first.