IN TOUCH DEVOTIONAL 25TH MARCH 2024 BY DR. CHARLES STANLEY, MONDAY MESSAGE
In Touch Devotional 25th March 2024 TOPIC: Returned from Exile
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Luke 15:11-32
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Jesus’ resurrection—the heart of the gospel—promises us resurrection as well. When He comes again, we will rise from physical death (1 Thessalonians 4:16). But the Lord promises more, which is described in the story of the Prodigal Son.
After taking his inheritance, the son assumed he could choose the life he wanted. Instead, he wasted everything—which is the definition of prodigal—and ended up with a life more like death. Penniless and alone, he at last “came to his senses” (Luke 15:17) and realized the full life he longed for was waiting back at home.
Great need motivated the young man to return home, but he didn’t assume that a full life would be restored; he hoped only for a servant’s existence. But the father, feeling that the son’s return warranted gracious extravagance, said, “Bring out the best robe … let’s eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again” (vv. 22-24).
Whenever we have chosen the way of death and find ourselves in a spiritual “far country,” we can remember the prodigal’s story. Like him, we can respond to the Spirit-given change of heart that draws us home. The Father’s extravagant grace awaits all who return.
Bible in One Year: 1 Samuel 7-9
Dr. Charles Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. Throughout his ministry, he demonstrated a keen awareness of people’s needs and provided Christ-centered biblically based principles for everyday life.