If this is the first time you've read this parable, it shouldn't be hard to figure out why it's so cherished and popular. What's most striking, is the father's response, when his rebellious son returns home.
If you think about it, the son's expectation, was sensible. He knew that he had squandered what he had been given. He found himself working, on someone else's property, for wages that were less than what one of his father's servants was getting paid. He didn't deserve to gain back what he had squandered. What he was looking for, was a better job. He knew that his father had the power to offer him a better job than the guy, for whom, he was currently working. It was a sensible business decision.
However, the whole point of the parable, is for Jesus to tell us just how generous God is, to those whom he has called to be his children. If we've blown it, and we go back home, he won't reject us. In fact, he is eager for us to return, and is waiting with great anticipation.
This blows my mind, and I get emotional, every time I think about it. It's a reminder that God isn't like us. His grace is far beyond what any of us are used to. He's not like anyone else, and his love is beyond measure. But, at the same time, because he knows everything, no one is able to make a fool out of him. He knows our hearts, down to the core, and knows whether someone is genuine, or is trying to take superficial advantage --like that Catholic who intended to live in sin, and go to confession on Sundays. No one tricks God, or makes a fool out of him.
This is displayed, well, in Galations 6:7; another popular verse:
Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant.
-Galations 6:7
So, the moral of the story, and the purpose of this article, is quite simple. Take God seriously. As it says in Galations 6:7, don't deceive yourself into thinking that you can fool God, and somehow trick him into thinking that you're sincere, when you're not. It won't work. He is God, after all. He knows everything, and can't be tricked.
I would also suggest not using our own emotions and feelings as some sort of way to measure our own sincerty about God. For instance, don't think that, because you cry during your prayers, and spend hours pouring out your heart, that that somehow takes the place of obedience. I sincerely believe that it's easy for us to think that we're geniune, because of how we feel. However, emotions aren't a good way to measure sincerity.
For example, on the night that Jesus was arrested, he predicted that his desciples would abandon him. After hearing this, they all claimed that they never would. This can be read in Matthew 26:31-35.
When I read this, I believe that Christ's disciples had genuinely convinced themselves that they wouldn't abondon Jesus. I don't think they were trying to be deceptive. They had followed him for years, and they knew that he loved them. I can only imagine that they had strong feelings, when they said that they wouldn't abondon him. However, feelings and emotions don't always determine what we really are. They can deceive us. After all, who ended up being right? Were the disciples right; based on how they felt, or was it Jesus?
To me, this is a reminder that, when it comes to evaluating our walk with Christ, nothing takes the place of our actions. This doesn't mean that obedience saves us, or makes us right with God. The Bible is clear that we're saved by God's grace. Only Jesus can solve that problem. However, our actions do indicate our true beliefs. It's like Jesus said, we will know a tree by its fruit.
Also, we can't make light of the stakes and consequences that are at hand. This life is short, and we only get one shot at it. None of us knows how much time we have, and we can't get back whatever time that has been spent. So it's critical to make sure that we make the right choices, in order to gain the greatest destiny. This is what Galations 6:7-10, is talking about, when it states that we will reap what we sow. As it says in Matthew 6:19-21, we should store up treasures in Heaven.
No matter what we face, or how long we've been following Christ, we must always take him seriously. When it comes to God, there is no other authority that supersedes his authority; including our own. It'd be the most terrible mistake for us to not heed his warnings, not cling to his promises, and not take him more seriously than anything else. Sincerity, shown through obedience, is key.
After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for. God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret.
-Ecclesiastes 12:13-14