the prodigal son =

I guess ignorance is not a sin.  Using words wrong is not a sin.  And I don't remember or know for a fact that anyone has ever mistakenly used the word "prodigal", but I just kept getting the sense that people were using the word "prodigal" to refer to people who have knowingly rejected God.  I thought "prodigal" was a word used to describe a "prodigy", except I wasn't sure if that was correct, because there was nothing in the passage in The Bible referred to as "the prodigal son" that I can tell that indicates this son had any kind of special abilities...however, what I kept/keep sensing people refer to in their use of the word "prodigal" is not what the word means.  I can't even remember if the actual text of The Bible refers to the son in question as "prodigal".  Does wasting money equate damnation?  If so, I guess 99.999% of people in the United States are damning themselves to Hell...and aren't even aware of it.  Maybe sexual immorality isn't what caused The Fall Of Rome.  Maybe it was too much money being generated and/or mis-spent...I realize there are people in the U.S. who by no means deserve the money they have.  They either didn't work for it or they did nothing significant to earn it.  Buying a piece of land for instance is not a laborous task.  There are people who do a genuine service to society who deserve some amount of the money they generate.  Some of Bill Gates' wealth is justified, despite what detractors have said.  Does that mean he's right in stockpiling his money and giving a mere 1/10 of 1% (if that) to good causes?  As a Christian, we are to acknowledge and solve the needs of others and work for God to accomplish as much good as possible.  Stockpiling money does not accomplish anything of the sort.  If Bill Gates gave 99% of his money away, he would still not need to beg anyone for money.  And even if he did, what harm would that bring?  He might get told "no" if he asks a handful of his neighbors for money to buy a yacht?  Oh, you poor kinfolk!  I don't think Bill Gates is a Christian.  I don't know much about his personal life,  I've certainly never heard of him speaking up for or about God.  He's certainly had plenty of opportunity to do that.  But it's not like I pay much attention to news stories about Bill Gates or celebrities in general.

Anyway.....kind of getting off the point.  I don't think sexual immorality is any small matter.  I don't know what exactly constitutes sexual immorality myself.  I know using our flesh and blood as sex toys, publicly and/or privately, is not what God had in mind when he designed us and we certainly don't have time to be wasting on such matters if we are taking the "Great Commission" seriously.  Key word being "if"...I for one do feel like I have time to do everything and more.  I haven't traveled the word and the 7 seas because that costs too much money and honestly I get bogged down in negativity really easily.  It's easier to wish the world away than it is to get out and love the world as God does enough to have sent us His only begotten son.  And I'm a coward.  Would I get up and out of my house to be a missionary in some foreign land where I know people are in great need of hearing God's love and seeing it in action if I had funds to do so?  If I wasn't busy not asking people for money to Go and tell?  Honestly, I don't think I'm remotely close to being qualified.  I'm not even looking at myself in the mirror any other reflective surface, but most of the time nonetheless I feel myself scowling and I don't even know why.  I try listening to joyful music and so often it just seems like I'm being pushed.  This Michael W. Smith song on the overall excellent album SOVEREIGN (2014) opens up the album -- the single "You Won't Let Go" --- The title is that of thanksgiving.  The problem I find in such a song is that Yes, God will not let go.  Or will he?  His love never leaves us.  But HE *will* leave those who don't finish the race successfully.  He speaks of numerous people knocking at His door begging to be let into Heaven and his response is "I don't know you".

I'm probably waaaaaaaaaaaaaay off topic and counterproductive in my train of thought....It's hard to tell how much of the new testament to take into account and how much to write off as exaggeration.  So much of what Jesus spoke was parables and even when he wasn't speaking in parables, he was using really vague speech.  He told someone who He had healed "Stop sinning or something worse might happen to you".  Stop sinning?  Oh.  So I'm guilty of sin...but now I've been told not to sin.  So I'm cured!  I guess Jesus' death and resurrection simply cover sins that we were not aware of as being sins.  I don't know.  I know I would find more favor with God if I were more obedient in my life overall.  Time spent away from God, choosing other activities, watching porn et al, and wasting my time on art&entertainment are not conductive to The Holy Spirit working within me.  I don't know why I have such a propensity to make bad decisions and think bad thoughts.  I don't recall creating this path.  I did make choices that have made this path easier to take.  I don't know how to undo them or break from them.  I don't feel strong or courageous enough to *JUST STOP*  My willpower is almost non existent.  I have will, but I don't feel any power OVER my will.  What does that even mean anyway?  God told David, 2nd King of Israel (well...third if you count God Himself...), that "you did well to have this in your heart".  How is having something in your heart an accomplishment?  Maybe I'm misunderstanding what God meant.  Maybe he was simply softening the blow to telling David that his intention could not be carried out as he had initially planned.  I mean, God and Man are divided enough already in ways that are excruciating even to Christians who have unlimited access to The Holy Spirit.  David perhaps benefited from being told something to the effect of "good job!", same as when a child does well, you don't discard the fruit of their good intentions by telling them "God gave that to you.  Get that pride off your face!"

Yeah...us humans are a wreck.  "The heart is deceitful among all things.  Who can know it?"  God knows more than we can ever understand.  He forgets our sins if we ask Him to.  And if we don't, He chooses to forget that we even existed.  The pain Jesus suffered was enough.  God doesn't need to put up with any more.