Wealth

Proverbs 28:28-29:3 – When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive. Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy. When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan. A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Luke 15:28,31-32 – “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him… “‘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.’”

Application:

• ·         The forgiving love of the father symbolizes the divine mercy of God, and the older brother’s resentment is like the attitude of the Pharisees and teachers of the law who opposed Jesus.
• ·         The father loved both brothers. The parable of the Lost Son shows a contrast between the self-centered exclusiveness of the Pharisees, who failed to understand God’s love, and His joy over the repentance of sinners.
• ·         “This brother of yours was dead and is alive again” was a beautiful picture of the return of the younger son, which also pictures Christian conversion.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV