Financial Discipleship – the Bible on InheritanceSýnishorn

“But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.” - Luke 15:22

The story of the prodigal son speaks to inheritance in many ways.

1. The younger son knew he had an inheritance coming to him from his father. So, he asked for all of it in advance, and his father obliged.
2. The older son, who stayed home, did everything his father told him to and never asked for his inheritance, still had access to the inheritance from his father (Luke 15:25, 28-31). His father said to him, “You are always with me, and all that I have is yours.”
3. This one is the most precious of them all. When the younger son squandered his inheritance and left home, he regretted what he did. He realized life on his own was nothing compared to life in his father’s house.

So, he returned sorrowfully. And when his father came out to meet him, he said, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” And even though his son was ungrateful, foolish and frivolous with the money he gave him, he was just happy to have him back home… in his house. He quickly draped a robe around him, placed jewelry on his hands and prepared a feast to celebrate. Not because his son made the right decisions when he left home. But because his son, who was once lost, finally found his way back home.

As children of the Most High God, we wander off into the wilderness, making the wrong turns left and right. For days. For weeks. For months. Even years. Clearly, we’re not perfect. But God never asks us to be. He’s just glad when we come back home. To His house.

There’s always a place for us in His house. Even when we know we have gone astray. Even when we know we have been selfish and ungrateful. Even when we know we have been impatient. Even when we know we have been a bad reflection of Him. And even when we are unworthy to be called His child.

Through our Father, we have an inheritance to the Kingdom. It’s the greatest inheritance there is, where neither moth nor rust can destroy the treasures inside (Matthew 6:20).

(excerpt taken from The Bible on Money, Compass-finances God's way, 2022)