Wasting His Substance - Luke 15:13

The beloved physician Luke wrote how Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. And he divided unto them his living”, and in chapter fifteen and verse thirteen of his book Luke wrote how Jesus said the younger son, “wasted his substance with riotous living” where we read:

And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

The verse reads, “And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, ...” Luke began with the words, “and not many days after” or “and only a few sunrises to sunsets after the father divided the inheritance” “the younger son” which means “the more recently born and more youthful male progeny and offspring” “gathered all together” or “assembled and collected each, every, the whole and everything that he owned”, “and took his journey” which means “and went abroad, traveled and visited” “into a far country” or “a place which was a distant region, place and territory”. Luke shared how Jesus said only a few “days” after his “father” divided the inheritance to him, the younger son left with all his belongings and traveled to a “location” that was a great distance away.

The verse continues, “and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” Luke added the words, “and there wasted his substance” or “and in the country which was a distance away, the younger son spent, dispersed, scattered and strewed his property, possessions and estate” “with riotous living” which means “with a dissolute and profligate lifestyle and activities”. Luke shared how Jesus said the younger son “spent and dispersed” everything he own with “prolific and irresponsible” “living”.

When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the younger son in Jesus' story left his home only a few days after receiving his inheritance. He traveled to a “country” that was “far away” from his home, and spent everything he had with “irresponsible” “living”. Jesus employed this illustration to share how many people “waste” everything that has been provided to them by God, and rather than submitting themselves to His Son Jesus Christ, they “live” an irresponsible life. God wants people to yield their lives to Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”, and when they understand there is an eternal life, they will exhaust all they own living for Him.

Next time Luke shares how Jesus says, “when he had spent all, there arose a might famine in that land”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".