STOP THE MADNESS

Luke 15:17-24 - KJV - "17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."

Stop the madness. So many of us from time to time in our lives, get caught
up in a rebellious lifestyle that leaves us empty, hurting, knowing what we
must do.....but not doing it. It would have been so much easier if God
would have just not given us "free will" to make our own decisions. Then
everything we did would be in accordance with His will, His plan for our
lives. But the fact is He did give us the ability to make our own choices,
and in so doing, has given us the ability to live at times in total
rebellion to what we know in our hearts is how He wants us to live.

Many of you are very uncomfortable reading this devotional this morning,
because it is bringing automatic conviction to you and where you are at in
your life. God loves you. He cares about you. He only wants the best for
you. That is why He is trying to get your attention before it gets any
worse. You see, sin is like quicksand, the longer you are in it, the deeper
you get, and the more difficult it is to get out.

Life is not easy, and I am not here to judge you. I have enough problems in
my own life to be judging others. But I am here to encourage you. God has
made a way back for you today. If you are tired, can't deal with the
pressure any longer, sick of the direction your life has taken, the Lord is
speaking to you this morning, "come home". Much like the prodigal son who
was at the very lowest depths of despair, somehow he heard the voice that
told him to "go home". When he arrived, he found a father not ready to
punish him, but love him. Not ready to chastise him, but restore him. Your father
is waiting for you today, with outstretched arms of love, simply saying to
you this day...."come home".

I pray for you today, especially those caught up in some things you
shouldn't be. You know it isn't working. You know that things are a mess.
You are tired of running, tired of hurting, tired of being tired. There is
an answer. There is a way. God is calling you right now, to simply "come home
to Him". The problems don't go away, the consequences of your actions don't
magically disappear. But by coming home, you start to deal with the issues,
put them behind you, and become restored into fellowship with your God who
loves you, and slowly, see the joy and peace and happiness return to your
life.

Trust Him today, and "go home."

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller