Consider this

                  Luke 15, with its parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, is one of the most-loved chapters in the word of God.   Reflecting mostly on the lost son (verses 11-32), I want to offer you a reminder, some reassurance, an opportunity to re-evaluate and one thought that is too good to keep to myself.                 The reminder:   You will never be happy when you are running away.   The younger son tried it.   However, after wasting all he was given, he figured out that home was better than he knew.   Verse 17 says, “When he came to his senses…” he went back home.   I love that!                   The reassurance:   We serve a God who is waiting, welcoming, running towards and celebrating (verses 20-24).    Never let anyone convince you that God is mean, angry or ready to slam the door in your face.

                  You cannot fix what you do not understand.   That is true of electronics, cars, furnaces, sewing machines, and even your Spiritual life.                   To sort out two key misunderstandings that often hold us back from God’s blessings, consider an incident in John 5.                 The chapter opens at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem.   People came to this pool hoping to be cured of various ailments.   The belief was that God would send an angel to stir the water and, when that happened, the first person in the pool was healed.   As Jesus walked by, he began a conversation with a man who had been coming to the pool for thirty-eight years.                 At one point, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (verse 5).   That sounds like a rude question, but it implies two important truths.                

                  The picture that the volunteer firefighters in Reserve Mines, Nova Scotia entered in the “Fire Hall Photo Contest” was stunning!   It showed the crew, a couple of fire engines and even a hovering rescue helicopter all shrouded in dramatic lighting.   Everyone who saw the picture said they were sure to win the $5000 first prize and they were right.   Within days, they had received so many votes that they were winning by a landslide.   Then, the firefighters of Reserve Mines saw another picture.                 Smith’s Cove fire department near Digby, Nova Scotia had entered the contest as well.   Their picture was not nearly as impressive as the one Reserve Mines had submitted.   There was no dramatic lighting and certainly no hovering helicopter.   It was just a picture of a group of dedicated volunteers standing in front of