Todd Barrier  

In our series “Becoming a Statistic” we have been looking at the parable of the lost son in Luke 15 to find ways to avoid a troubling statistic. That statistic is that the church loses 50% of its people after they graduate high school. So far, we have seen that we need to be careful about taking in too many new experiences at once. We’ve also seen that we need to make sure not to believe the lies of the world and to be prepared for tough times if we do.  

Last week we learned not to be surprised by the consequences of our bad decisions. Today we will look at v. 18-20. The Bible says…’I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 “and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ‘ 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” 

The young man finally realized what a mistake he had made and went home to find a loving father waiting for him. The lesson to learn today is that when you realize the mistake you have made, go home. Go back to what you know is right, don’t keep wallowing in the selfishness of your bad decisions. Humble yourself and admit you were wrong. Know that a loving Father is waiting to welcome you back into the family.  

Next week we will finish up this series and hopefully will have learned some ways to avoid “Becoming a Statistic”