You are always with me, and everything I have is yours

When reading the parable of the lost son, I am always grateful that the younger son returned to his father (Luke 15: 11-32).

But sometimes can't help but feel sympathetic to the older son's point of view. The older son had not strayed, and yet no-one celebrated his faithfulness. When he pointed this out to his father when they were celebrating the return of his brother, the father said:

 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Luke 15: 31-32

The first words of the father resonated with me: "You are always with me, and everything I have is yours." Wow! That's God speaking to us! This made me feel so much less jealous of others. I realized that God values us equally, whether we stray or not. Sure, the younger brother had a big celebration made for the occasion of his return, but honestly, this is good reason to celebrate. 

And for the one who didn't stray, the Father reminds him "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours." God did not value the older son any less. God was willing to share everything he had with him, already.

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