Did you know 76% of men feel A LOT of pressure to provide for their family financially, and that has only been compounded by the global pandemic of this past year? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 18.3 million children, 1 in 4, live without a biological, step, or adoptive father in the home. Without a father, children are: 2x's more likely to drop out of high school, 4x's more likely to live in poverty, 7x's more likely to become pregnant as a teen, more likely to face abuse and neglect, develop behavioral problems, commit crimes, abuse drugs and alcohol and go to prison (280% more likely to carry guns and deal drugs).(fatherhood.org)

Many of us are carrying deep wounds from our earthly father that we have transferred to our heavenly father. We might not say it this way, but we act as if God is going to behave with the same character or lack of character that we experienced from our own dad.

"Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him [intense hunger]. But no one gave him anything. “When he finally came to his senses [common sense moments], he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.’ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began." -Luke 15:11-24 NLT

The father was waiting to bless him! God, our Father is a God of restoration!

3 Truths of This Parable:

1.) Selfishness Prevents Proximity.
- When we selfishly think that our life is our own, we feel entitled to blessings from God and this creates distance from God in our hearts.

2.) Proximity Promotes Trust.
- Trusting God is a difficult thing to do. It is a lifetime pursuit, rather than just a one-time fix. Trusting God is a daily choice. Over time, it gets easier to trust God, and as you read the Bible and you see how He is faithful.

3.) Trust Produces Obedience.
To simply obey is something a servant can do, and while we are all called to be servants for God, his desire is not that we simply serve, but that we experience his love, which will lead us to trust and willingly obey.

Obedience is an outward action based on an internal belief. But trust is an internal belief based on a previous outward action.

"This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." -1 John 15:7-8