Youths nowadays are the pillar of the church. Whether the church will grow or will go back, the youth of that church will determine. Youth ministry is an important ministry in the church that will shake the church for God because they are vibrant and they are expected to be more committed to the work of God. Therefore, all youths are expected to wake up from their sleep or slumber to work for God in the churches.

The Youthful Exuberances (Luke 15:11-13)

There is a stage in growth where young ones seek to challenge the status quo, they get so very adventurous. Some get quite confrontational with people placed in positions of authority above them. ‘The younger son said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the estate.'” (v. 12a) This was an abnormality taken too far. He refused to go through the full learning pronoun under the tutelage of his father and his elder brother. He felt he had enough knowledge of how to excel. He chose to plan the process

The teacher leads the students to state factors that could have led to this behaviour including; greed, impatience, peer pressure, peer influence, etc.

The teacher also leads students to name other areas they feel their parents are not allowing them enough freedom, Usually, this includes; denial of free movement, choice of friends, insistence on church activities when conflicting activities exist, refusal to support examination malpractices, etc.

Consequences of Wrong Youthful Choices (Luke 15:14-16)

Everyone has control over the choices he/she makes, but, no one has control over the consequences of the choices made. The young boy made his choice. He got his share of the father’s estate and spent it lavishly. He enjoyed it momentarily. His peers could have envied him and possibly, a few would have considered taking a similar step. However, the enjoyment was short-lived. Verse 14b says, ‘he began to be in need’. When you bypass the process, you can’t bypass the outcome of the wrong decision. The influence of others on his decision cannot be written off.

They could have likely hailed him while the lot lasted. When the consequences came to the fore, he had to bear it alone. Verse 16b says, ‘but no one gave him anything’. Even when he chose to feed from the pods the pigs were eating, which most likely was after the pleas to humans proved futile; yet, he got nothing. Consequences of our wrong decisions are usually futile.

The initial choice would appear juicy and attractive, but rejecting those wrong choices might appear costly initially, they could involve a lot of sacrifices, but these sacrifices usually pay off eventually. The young boy bore the consequences of his decision alone.

The teacher leads students to state the consequences of their choice to include; shame, hunger, mischief, frustration, the feeling of neglect, depression, etc.

The Golden Decision (Luke 17:17-20)

When a man misses his route, even if he has gone a thousand miles on the wrong route, as difficult, stressful, painful and embarrassing as it might appear, turning back towards the right route would always be the better option.

The boy in Verse 17 came to his senses. He discovered his current reality; guilt was all over him. He acknowledged he had sinned against his father and God. Several times, the Holy Spirit convicts us when we fall into sin. This is usually not the endpoint, what we do thereafter goes a long way in defining the eventual outcome. Fear of going through the consequences of our actions holds us back. Taking the corrective action is usually a very difficult step.

The boy was ready to go through the punishment; he was ready to pay the price for his wrong decision. The greatest weapon the devil uses to prevent us from restoration is ‘fear’. We need to face our fears boldly. Verse 20a says, ‘So he got up and went to his father’. He went back despite the shame.

The Father’s Incomparable Love (Luke 17: 20b-24)

So many times, the devil makes us underestimate the love the Father has for us. God gave His only son for us. That is the greatest height of a show of love. With all the fears in the mind of this son, the Bible says, ‘But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him’. Perhaps; the boy’s remorse was written all over him and his father could see that; the current state of poverty of the boy was evident, through the consequence of his faulty decision, yet the father had compassion on him. The father had always longed for the return of his son and, hence, could identify him afar off in his state of despair. Verse 20b says, ‘he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him’.

Closure

Our fears only deny us the joy of the good life God has in store for us. A turnaround could appear difficult, and the fear of uncertainty could weigh us down, however, we need to know that our parents, teachers and most importantly, God love us so much. They do not like us to be our decision to make a ‘U-turn’ for good will always excite them. hatred but a step to show their displeasure for our wrong actions and not our personality. Their arms are always wide open to receive us.

Do not go too far on the wrong route. Retrace your steps quickly when you err and there will be so much peace and celebration at the end. Every corrected action will always lead to celebrations both in the heart of God and man. Continuous dwelling in disobedience is synonymous with a lost child. Verse 24 tells us of the reaction of the father. He says, ‘For this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found’.

The Father’s arms (God) are always outstretched to receive us. He sees our sincerity of heart far off and would always welcome us back with much joy. The onus lies on us to make amends when necessary. Take a decision today to reunite with the Father. The Father’s love is incomparable. His arms are always widely stretched to receive us back to the fold

BH 264

THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING

There shall be showers of blessing: This is the promise of love;

There shall be seasons refreshing, Sent from the Saviour above.

Show… ers of blessing, Showers of blessing we need;