A heart after God: positive consequences to walking in righteousness & negative consequences to walking in Sin - Part 2
I look at the story of the prodigal son and the older brother, and it encourages me so much on this topic. In the context of this blog and the point I made earlier, we are looking at two different believers — one who goes back into the world, or decides to do something that is foreign to the Father and the way they were raised. Then we see the older brother, who stays with the Father. He is faithful, he works with the Father, he doesn’t leave nor blow up his inheritance. Yes, when the younger brother comes back, it looks as if he is being rewarded for his wrongdoing because we do not see the correction of the Father in those verses. Now, the older brother also needs his heart changed so that he can celebrate the return of his brother, and the Father helps him at the end in Luke 15:31–32, saying:
“Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”
Read the whole parable in Luke 15:31–32
This reminds us that we should celebrate those who come back to the Lord, not be bitter against them because we didn’t get the reward for staying, or because their dramatic testimony seems to get more applause than ours who have been faithfully following God. This happens a lot in our churches - but there is hope my friends, because God does not forget you. For example, you have believed and followed the Lord since you were a child, so your story isn’t as dramatic. Remember, everyone needs Jesus and every heart needs repentance — and this is what the older brother needed to celebrate, but he hadn’t learned that lesson yet.
But to you, brothers and sisters who did not stray or run away from the Lord — you have stayed with the Lord, you have endured, you have been obedient, and you have done the right thing over and over again. Firstly, God’s reward is coming. He is good and he sees your heart. Go to Him for affirmation and celebration. Hide his promises in your heart and let them be of encouragement to you. Jesus will find a way to honour you, to love you, to throw a party for you.
The older brother needed to be reminded again of what it is all about. He needed to remember his intimacy and love with the Father. All he had to do was ask The older brother to forget he was loved and he was a son not a servant. He forgot that this wasn’t about works but a relationship. He didn’t know how much he meant to the father like the younger son. The Father was already pleased with the older brother, but the younger brother chose a sinful, destructive path — so of course any parent with a heart and desire to see their children restored and choosing the right path would rejoice when they finally come to their senses. Wouldn’t you? God loves you dear ones. He does, so go to him for comfort, tell him truly what you feel, share your desires with him and let the fellowship you have with him be enough. God will meet you in your needs.
Choosing to do the right thing according to God’s word; to follow God, to come to Him, to get out of sin is an incredible heart change that isn’t by accident.
It takes repentance, humility and revelation. This is why there is a celebration. However, to you faithful one — rejoice that you are following God, that you already have that revelation, that you are walking in righteousness, and know that the Father is so pleased with you. You do not have to stray or sin against God to get the celebration or attention. He is already pleased with you. He celebrates you. May I even say God will brag about you some day. Let me show you something similar to this in Ephesians 2:5-7 which explains God’s reason for salvation with the implication that we are changed and are now united to Christ and how we live demonstrates God’s grace and love.
…that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved. 6 In our union with Christ Jesus he raised us up with him to rule with him in the heavenly world. He did this to demonstrate for all time to come the extraordinary greatness of his grace in the love he showed us in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, what if I told you that we are not dominated by sin — we can choose righteousness?
The positive consequences of walking in righteousness and following God’s way
The Bible mentions that the prodigal son asked for his inheritance, and he spent it all. He engaged in sinful acts, he ate with the pigs, etc. So yes, he was celebrated when he came home, but I am sure afterwards there were practical things that the Father had to remind him of — the rules and guidance he had left behind. He had to live by them again. I am sure he needed to work with his brother in the field.
Even though he was forgiven, the prodigal son still didn’t have any more of his inheritance — it was gone. Whereas the older brother still had his. The older brother knew how to work the land and work with the Father in a way the younger brother didn’t. So who knows — the Father probably encouraged the older brother to teach him how to do things around the land and house because, remember, there is a faithfulness the older brother had learned that the younger hadn’t but wouldn’t need to learn. I have learned in my walk with Jesus that there are lessons we can run from, and there are lessons everyone needs to learn eventually.
The older brother didn’t have the trauma of the sins of the younger brother. The way I used to live before Jesus sometimes makes me cringe. The point I am making is this: when we repent, God will forgive and restore us spiritually. However, there might be certain consequences that take days, months, or even years to fix. For example, a spouse with children might give into temptation and have an affair. Let’s say they repents for their actions truly with God and start putting things in place to restore their family and marriage. God forgives him or her — but the other spouse has a choice to make. Their marriage might not be restored because of the pain he or she is going through.
Let’s talk about the kids — this is not only devastating to the spouse and family, but to the children as well. They will need to walk through forgiveness and even the shock of the sin committed against their mother or father. Suppose they forgive him or her — there is still a reputation and how other people perceive the situation, especially if the spouse is in leadership or is known among the community as a man or woman of God. These things can reproach on God. The church is supposed to be light, but this sort of situation does not give God glory.
So our choices not only impact us and those around us, but they also impact the world — how people perceive God and Christianity. Our life walk speaks of God, therefore every believer should want to represent God well. I am writing this to encourage the faithful to stay faithful and love God. He is good, and righteousness is so beautiful; therefore, when we obey Him or live rightly, it gives glory to God.
Matthew 5:14–16 says:
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
This scripture reminds me of another scripture in Proverbs 4:18–19, which says:
“But the path of the just (righteous) is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is like [deep] darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.”
These are promises and warnings, dear friends, that following God comes with agreeing with His word, repenting daily, and growing in our relationship with Him — where we want to follow His ways and choose His ways. There might be decisions you need to make, temptations knocking at your door, or even thoughts you might be tempted to indulge in, but I want to encourage you to choose righteousness and choose God asking him to help you. He will guide and help you reap His goodness, his presence, and promises.
I will leave this blog here but I pray that this has given you a lot to meditate on and think about. May we all walk with a pure heart towards God and man.
Love, Sarah
