Prodigal Children

# 96 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 8:1-3, “Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. (1 Sam 8:1-3) We aren't told what Samuel was thinking when he appointed his sons as judges in Israel. We do know that he placed them in the extreme southern portion of Israel. Beersheba was not a part of the circuit that Samuel followed when he judged Israel. Nonetheless it was an important area along the trade route between Egypt and Asia. Money likely flowed through this city. It talked. And evidently it talked loud and clear to Joel and Abijah. Away from the influence of their father, they gave in to temptation and perverted their judicial rulings for the sake of a greased palm. First lesson: Grace does not flow through the blood of humans. It is not in our genes, like the color of our hair to be passed down to the next generation. Grace only flows through the blood of Jesus. There comes a time in the lives of our children when they have to own their own faith. They must apprehend the blood of Christ and all it's benefits and make it their own, or......... not. How many parents find themselves jolted to this reality when their children leave home and go out into the world? Beersheba was about 50 miles from Ramah, where Samuel resided and I imagine he was devastated when the word came back to him concerning the lifestyle of his sons. If your children have become prodigals, take heart from this passage. Few people have approached the level of dedication and faith that Samuel had, yet he suffered the agony of prodigal children. Samuel experienced the same thing you are going through and he didn't let it affect his personal faith. Is there hope? Read Luke 15 beginning at verse 11. It's the story of the prodigal son. Then pray, that they may be like the prodigal and return to the Father.