Today’s Key Verses:

Luke 17:23-24

23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Everybody loves a good party. I know I sure do. The crazy thing about church is that we’ve somehow been led to believe that Christians don’t have fun and shouldn’t celebrate anything.

But yet in this story of the Prodigal Son, we see that there is definitely a big celebration. And what’s celebrated is that the lost was found, and the blind can see. Because this story was one of Jesus’ parables (a hypothetical story that he told to make a point) what He is trying to get across is that people who were once dead in sin and blind to God’s plan for their salvation have been transformed. The dead is alive and the blind can now see!

In this story, the response to that is a celebration. But not just any celebration; it’s a big ole rowdy party. This life transformation is cause to get crazy!

Often times we can get distracted by all that seems to go wrong in our lives. The bills don’t get paid, the family seems to be at odds, a pink slip shows up, the doctor gives bad news, the kids drive you nuts, and the list goes on… But do you ever stop to think about all that you have to celebrate? If you have given your life to Christ and received His gift of forgiveness, you have a lot to celebrate. You were once dead, but now you are alive! You were once blind, but now you can see! Celebrate!

Today’s Prayer:
Praise God for his free gift of salvation. Thank Him for choosing you to be a part of His family and allowing you to be forgiven of your sins so that you can have a relationship with Him. Ask God to help you remember all that you have to celebrate even when it seems like there is no reason to do so. Ask God to give you opportunities to share your excitement with others who need to experience the same joy that you have found in Him.

Hope you are having a great week!

Rodney Arnold
OneLife Church