07/03/2022 - WORSE THAN PIGS

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And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. Luke 15:16

There are all kinds of deception in the world, and the reckless are delighted by what they hear; it hurts to see the state to which they will be reduced. A young man from a prosperous family, who had only one brother with whom he would share his inheritance, listened to what he was told about a distant land, where he could live as he wanted and where he could perhaps earn a lot of money, and decided to experience it instead of talking to his father. No doubt his father would urge him to be prudent.

The days of parties and orgy brought him a certain filthy pleasure, never experienced among his people, but they also sucked away the inheritance he had received in advance. When you have money, it is easy to get warm and charismatic friends, but if the money runs out, so do the friendships and considerations. This misfortune has been the result of many who trusted in the words of irresponsible people. But those who trust in God will never listen to the devil (John 10:27).

With very few exceptions, it can be said that men are the same everywhere. Faced with the offers of sin, they act in the same way. Marital unfaithfulness, lies, and harm are seen in the lives of those who do not serve the Lord with a true heart. However, God’s servants never let temptation make them act like traitors. Evil will never take control of those who are led by the Spirit of God. The Lord protects them!

Good things end so quickly that we don’t even pay attention. The money the young man took on his crazy trip dwindled to the point where there was nothing left in his pocket. So, in order to eat, clothe himself, and pay his expenses, he would have to work. Well, since his father had taught him to fight for life, he went out looking for a place to earn his bread decently. However, hunger brought serious problems. Where could he find a place? He found himself in trouble!

The only work he could get was very humiliating: herding pigs – something he must not have understood well. Now, his father being a farmer, this was a job for those who were not trained in any other task and were used to dealing with the animals of those farms. He either took it or died of hunger, and the young man accepted it. However, when he threw the food at the pig pen, he wanted to eat from it, but he was not allowed to. Difficult life!

In his humiliation of having to ask the farm foreman for permission to eat the animals’ food, he did not get permission. All he could do was to crave. In the sadness that invaded his soul, he could only wish for the food given to the pigs. At this point, the weak man despairs and goes on to solutions that will aggravate his problems. What could the young man do? Only by seeking God could he satisfy his hunger. Pray!

How many people are right now in scarcity, living miserably because they didn’t pray to God and ask for guidance before making a decision! Whoever does what his mind tells him to do, unless he repents, will not have divine help. Behind the story of those who prostitute themselves, there is frustration and a range of whining and despair. You cannot live without Christ!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares