He Came To Himself

In Luke 15, Jesus told of a story of a father who had two sons. The younger decided he no longer needed his father, and desired to move far from him. He was mature enough to handle life on his own. Without patience, out of due season, he demanded his father give him all of his inheritance. Displaying no wisdom, the young fellow wasted all that he had in a rebellious lifestyle. There arose a famine in the land, whereby the boy did find himself alone and in need of basic necessities such as food and shelter. Forced into humility, he did eat and mingle among the unclean swine.

But, amidst his darkest moment, Jesus says, “he came to himself.” The son who had rebelled against his father, demanded that which was not yet his, and lived unto himself did have an inward awakening which did cause the young man to see himself for exactly who he was: one unworthy to be called a son, deserving of nothing.

The scripture says man has both a conscience and the Holy Spirit which do convict and move man toward repentance [John 8:9; Romans 2:15; Romans 9:1]; though the conscience may be seared [1 Timothy 4:2] and the Holy Spirit grieved [Ephesians 4:30]. The question is what are we doing when that still small voice inside of us starts telling us what we are doing or what we have done is wrong? Do we “come to ourselves” and desire to renew our fellowship with our Father God, or do we quickly find a way to silence our conscience and turn a deaf ear to the Spirit?

Jesus tells us this son humbly went unto his father with True Repentance, seeing his thoughts and deeds for what they were, declaring he had sinned against God and his father. Where is it that we see ourselves in this story; for indeed have we all sinned against our Father.

Have we tried to take a heavenly inheritance to use while we do wonder upon this earth, while desiring to distance ourselves far from the very Father who has given us so much through His grace? Have we come back to our Father with True Repentance, or are we blindly still wallowing in the mire and eating of the husk with the swine?

May neither our conscience nor the Spirit of God ever leave us unto ourselves, lest we never taste the fruits of True Repentance.