Day 1: Two Lost Sons, One Loving Father

Devotional:
When we hear the parable of the prodigal son, we often focus on the younger son who squandered his inheritance. But Jesus’ story in Luke 15 is actually about two lost sons—each lost in their own way. One rebelled openly, while the other rebelled quietly from within the father’s house.
The younger son’s rebellion is obvious. He demands his inheritance early (essentially telling his father, “I wish you were dead”), leaves home, and wastes everything on wild living. When he returns broken and humbled, his father runs to embrace him.

But the older son? His lostness is more subtle. He stayed home, did everything right on the outside, yet harbored resentment, pride, and a transactional view of his relationship with his father. When his brother returns, he refuses to join the celebration, revealing his true heart.

What’s remarkable is how the father responds to both sons. He doesn’t just welcome back the younger son with open arms; he also goes out to plead with the angry older son. The father’s love isn’t earned by either son—it’s freely given to both despite their different forms of rebellion.

This parable challenges us to examine our own hearts. Are we like the younger son, thinking we need to find fulfillment away from God? Or are we like the older son, outwardly obedient but inwardly resentful, viewing our relationship with God as a transaction rather than a loving relationship?

Regardless of which son we resemble more, the father’s response remains the same: extravagant, unearned grace.

Bible Verse:
“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 15:32

Reflection Question
Which son do you identify with more in this parable, and what might that reveal about how you view your relationship with God?

Quote:
“God’s Grace is greater still, right? Regardless of whether we have sinned as the spendthrift younger son. He spends openly and blatantly in wild living or as we will see today, if our sin is oppressed, right? If our sin is covered up and hidden, maybe not like that younger son’s sin of wild living, right? What I will often refer to as the sex, drugs, and rock and roll style of sin, but more of the older son style of slave drudgery and quiet rebellion, right? Covered with sin, regardless of how we have sinned and the weight of our sin, God’s grace is greater than all of our sins.”

Prayer:
Father, thank you for your relentless love that pursues me whether I run far from you or serve you with wrong motives. Help me to see where I might be lost even while thinking I’m found. Open my heart to receive your grace not as something I earn, but as your gift of love. Amen.

Day 2: Breaking Free from Slave Mentality

Devotional:
The older son in Jesus’ parable had everything but appreciated nothing. Despite his father’s assurance that “everything I have is yours,” he saw himself not as a beloved son but as a slave who had to earn his father’s love through years of service.
His complaint reveals his heart: “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you…” He didn’t understand that his father’s love wasn’t based on his performance. He had reduced their relationship to a transaction—obedience in exchange for reward.

Many of us fall into this same trap in our relationship with God. We serve Him faithfully, follow the rules, and do everything right—but with the wrong heart. We become slaves to religious obligation rather than children who serve out of love and gratitude.

Paul addresses this directly in Galatians when he urges believers to stand firm in their freedom. Christ has set us free not so we can do whatever we want, but so we can stop trying to earn what has already been freely given. The Father’s love, acceptance, and blessing are gifts of grace, not wages earned through service.

The older son missed the joy of sonship because he chose the burden of slavery. He couldn’t celebrate his brother’s return because he was too busy calculating what he thought he was owed. His father’s gentle reminder—”you are always with me”—was an invitation to step out of slavery and into the freedom of being a beloved child.

Today, hear the Father saying those same words to you. You don’t have to earn what has already been given. You are not a slave, but a son or daughter of the King.

Bible Verse:
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1

Reflection Question:
In what areas of your spiritual life might you be operating with a slave mentality rather than enjoying the freedom of being God’s child?

Quote:
Stop living as a slave when God wants you to live as a son or daughter.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I’ve approached you as a slave rather than as your beloved child. Help me to break free from performance-based thinking and to rest in your unconditional love. Remind me daily that I am your child, not because of what I do, but because of what Christ has done. Amen.

Day 3: From Security Guards to Signposts

Devotional:
The older son in Jesus’ parable didn’t just miss the joy of his brother’s return—he actively resented it. He couldn’t understand why his father would celebrate someone who had broken all the rules when he himself had kept them all. In his mind, he was the gatekeeper of his father’s approval, determining who deserved celebration and who deserved judgment.
This attitude mirrors the Pharisees who inspired Jesus to tell this parable in the first place. They were scandalized by Jesus welcoming tax collectors and sinners, eating with them, and offering them God’s grace. Like the older son, they had appointed themselves as God’s security guards, deciding who was worthy to approach Him.

But God never asked us to be His bouncers. He doesn’t need us to protect His holiness from sinners—after all, He’s the one who leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one lost sheep. Instead, He calls us to be signposts, pointing the way to His grace rather than blocking the path.

When we position ourselves as God’s security guards, we misrepresent His heart. We create barriers where God wants to build bridges. We push away the very people He’s trying to draw near.

The father in the parable didn’t ask the older son to judge his brother’s worthiness—he simply invited him to join the celebration. Similarly, God doesn’t call us to determine who deserves His grace (none of us do!). He invites us to celebrate whenever a lost person is found, whenever a dead heart comes alive.

Today, consider whether you’re acting more like a security guard or a signpost in your interactions with others. Are you pointing people toward God’s grace, or are you standing in the way?

Bible Verse:
“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.” – Luke 15:28

Reflection Question:
In what ways might you be acting as God’s security guard rather than as a signpost pointing others to His grace?

Quote:
We are to be God’s signpost, not God’s security guard.

Prayer:
Lord, forgive me for the times I’ve appointed myself as the gatekeeper of your grace. Help me to remember that my role is not to judge who is worthy, but to point everyone to your open arms. Give me your heart of celebration when the lost are found, and help me to be a clear signpost directing others to your love. Amen.

Day 4: The Father Who Runs:

Devotional:
One of the most powerful images in Jesus’ parable is that of the father running. In Middle Eastern culture, dignified men did not run—it was considered undignified and shameful. Yet this father, seeing his wayward son from a distance, hikes up his robes and sprints toward him, unconcerned with how it might appear to others.
But this isn’t the only time the father leaves the house in this story. When the celebration is in full swing, the older son refuses to join. Rather than sending a servant to fetch him or demanding he come inside, the father once again goes out—this time to plead with his self-righteous son.

This father breaks cultural norms twice: first by running to embrace the openly rebellious son, and then by pleading with the quietly rebellious one. He humbles himself for both, showing that his love isn’t dependent on their behavior but flows from his own character.

This is the heart of our heavenly Father. He doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up before approaching Him. He doesn’t demand we crawl back on our knees, proving our repentance. Instead, He runs to meet us while we’re still a long way off. And when we’re too proud or bitter to accept His grace or the grace He shows to others, He comes out to reason with us, inviting us into a deeper understanding of His love.

The father in this parable isn’t passive, waiting for his sons to figure things out on their own. He actively pursues both of them, though in different ways appropriate to their different forms of lostness. This is the God we serve—not distant or demanding, but intimately involved and relentlessly pursuing.

Bible Verse:
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36

Reflection Question:
When have you experienced God pursuing you despite your rebellion or resistance? How did that change your understanding of His character?

Quote:
The heart of the Father, though the heart of the Father that we receive in faith and the heart of a Father that is out there seeking that others would receive him in faith, is to seek and save sinners. Even those who grievously and blatantly and disrespect disgracefully and publicly sin against him.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for not waiting for me to get everything right before you come to me. Thank you for running toward me when I was far away, and for coming out to meet me when I’ve been stubborn or self-righteous. Help me to grasp the depth of your love that pursues both the openly rebellious and the quietly resentful. May I respond to your pursuit with humble gratitude. Amen.

Day 5: Joining the Celebration:

Devotional:
The parable of the two sons ends with a question mark. We know the younger son is restored to the family, but what about the older son? Does he swallow his pride and join the celebration, or does he remain outside, nursing his resentment?
Jesus intentionally leaves this question unanswered because it was directed at the Pharisees and teachers of the law who were grumbling about Jesus welcoming sinners. The ending of the story was up to them—and it’s up to us as well.

The father’s invitation still stands: “We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” This is the heart of the gospel—that God rejoices when the lost are found, when the dead come to life. And He invites us to join in that celebration.

Too often, like the older son, we miss the joy of the kingdom because we’re too focused on who we think deserves to be there. We forget that none of us deserves the Father’s love—it’s all grace. The only appropriate response to receiving such unmerited favor is to extend it to others and to celebrate when they receive it too.

The father in the parable doesn’t just want his younger son back; he wants his family whole. He wants both sons to understand his heart and to share in his joy. Similarly, God doesn’t just want to save individuals; He wants to create a community that reflects His character of gracious love.

Today, the Father is inviting you to the celebration. Will you join Him in rejoicing over every person who turns to Him, regardless of their past? Or will you stand outside, demanding they earn what you yourself received as a gift?

Bible Verse:
“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 15:32

Reflection Question:
What might be keeping you from fully joining God’s celebration of grace for all people, including those whose sins seem more obvious or offensive than your own?

Quote:
The irony is we call the younger son the prodigal son. But he’s the one that Jesus does not leave us with as a prodigal right. It’s the older son who we’re left wondering; does he ever receive the Father’s grace?

Prayer:
Gracious Father, forgive me for the times I’ve been more like the older son, resenting your generosity toward others while taking for granted your generosity toward me. Open my heart to join your celebration whenever a lost person is found. Help me to see others through your eyes of compassion rather than through eyes of judgment. May I never stand outside the party of your grace, but always join in the music and dancing. Amen.