I had the opportunity to talk to a lady who I graduated with in high school this past week. We were talking about the fact that we had been out of school for 27 years and counting. In these some 27 years, we have lost several class mates to death. We talked about classmates that had married and divorced. Some of them had been sweethearts for a very long time, but couldn't make their marriages work out. Then we talked about two of our classmates who had married, after they divorced their first spouses, who were an unlikely match. She had been super popular in high school and this guy wouldn't have even made the top 20 on her list of possible dating material while they were in high school. I made the comment about how kids, who are popular in school, find out the hard way that it is an even playing field in the real world after school. Popularity means nothing. Solomon said, "Favor is deceitful." This leads into my thoughts for today. Have you ever wanted to do something simply because the pasture looks greener on the other side, just to find out that the grass in even more dead than where you were before?

Many times we look at something someone else might be doing, or at a situation that looks right, and we may wonder what it would be like to be in that person's shoes. How many times does another person's job look better than our own, or how many times do you wonder, why can't I be like them? These questions often come up don't they? I recall a passage in God's Word that puts a young man in that situation.

In Luke 15:10 – 32, we find the story of a man who had two sons. The youngest son allowed his curiosity to grow about the outside world to the point that he went to his dad and said, "Give me the portion of thy goods that belongeth to me." Jesus continues to talk about this young son, who took what his dad had given to him and went on his way. (Luke 15:13 KJV) "And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country."

This young man went into the world thinking he had it made. He decided he was going to do what he thought was right, but would soon find out that the world was nothing like he pictured. He had the Elvis Presley syndrome, as I call it; He did it his way! Jesus told the disciples that this young man had gone out "and there wasted his substance with riotous living." This man had a lot of friends and wasted everything he had on them. He did things he knew was wrong, down deep inside, but he continued to live his life the way he wanted too. His dad probably told him he didn't need to go this way, but he was probably like most kids today, where he thought that his dad didn't know anything.

There came a ‘mighty famine' in the land, and this young man found himself without any money or food. The people he thought were his friends before turned their backs on him, and the only thing he had to do his turn to a citizen of that country who put him to work feeding swine. This young man was hungry and he found himself in a pig pin eating the husk of the corn that he fed to the pigs. It took a drastic measure for him to see what he had left behind to seek his own way. He knew that he had a good life before this time, but he thought it was a boring life, and it sure wasn't popular. However, he started seeing that maybe dad was right. Jesus said, in Luke 15:17- 19, "And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants." In verses 20 – 22, we read that the Father was so excited about his wayward son coming home that he threw a big party. The Father was very excited about his son coming home. There are things we can learn from this though.

WE CAN LEARN THAT THE WORLD IS MORE WICKED THAN WE THINK.

It is easy to see that every thing is not as simple in this world as we think. I find out that when I get closer to God, Satan starts working on me even harder than before. I find that not everyone who says you are their friend is really your friend. People who are not your friends will us you. However, we know that there is one friend who is closer than a brother to you. His name is Jesus Christ. He said, "I will never leave nor forsake you." You are guaranteed that HE will not leave you nor forsake you if you are HIS child. Being HIS child means you must be saved.

WE CAN LEARN THAT WHEN WE LIVE FOR THIS WORLD, WE ARE LIVING IN A PIG STY.

Now think about this. When we choose to live for the world, we find that there is lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and yes, the pride of life in it. It all seems well and good, but the truth is, nobody really cares about anyone in the world. In the world, it is all about ‘I'. Christians, who seek to live like the world after they have been saved, seem to enjoy themselves for a short period of time. However, they eventually find themselves like the young man we talked about earlier. They become miserable, and eventually start seeking their way back. This road back is not an easy road back though. First, you have to find a smooth road back, and that is hard to find at times. Second, you have to deny yourself the pleasures you once thought you enjoyed from this old wicked world. Third, a child of God has to know that his Father in heaven is waiting right where he left HIM. We must go to HIM.

WE CAN KNOW THAT THE FATHER LOVES US.

The Father loves you so much that HE is waiting upon you. Going back to HIM is the true way to right the wrongs in our lives. Pride destroyed this young man's morality, and it destroys men and women today. Because we follow what we believe to be right instead of what God teaches us is right. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." He is exactly what He said He is. Amazingly enough, when Jesus searched for his disciples He only said two words, "Follow ME." They did exactly that. They dropped all they were doing and followed Him.

Today's Bible study makes me realize that when I don't seek the kingdom of God first, I always make the wrong decisions. I encourage you to seek Him first; stay where you're at along side Him; and you can't go wrong. Thank you Lord for loving us so much, even though we are not worthy of that love. Thank you for giving us all opportunities to follow YOU. Give us each the wisdom we need in finding YOU. Amen.