The word Prodigal means to be reckless or wasteful in luxury or extravagance. In the story of the Prodigal Son we learned that the first son was lost because he wasted all of his inheritance on gambling and prostitutes. However, we also learned that the second son was also lost, because he was wasting his time and energy, not in luxury or extravagance, but in trying to earn his fathers favor in self-righteousness. In both cases, each son desired what the father could give them rather than a relationship with the father. How many times do we treat God as though he was a vending machine, and we are only satisfied when there are more options to choose from? How many times do we choose what God can give us over a relationship with Jesus? Jesus desires to have a relationship with us. The irony is that God is a prodigal as well. The father in the story was reckless in loving his son by preparing a feast and putting a robe on his nakedness. In the same way Jesus longs to be reckless with his love for us. He wants us to share in his inheritance so that we may be prodigals of love to the world.
For further reading check out Luke 15:11-32

Welcome Jon Randall, the new 8:08 intern! Jon is a Florida native and a recent grad of Crown College in Minnesota where his degrees are in Bible and History. He may be a history nerd but he’s still cooler than the college pastor.

Jon is a solid dude with a heart for God and an eagerness to serve college students. In August he’ll be joined by his soon-to-be wife, Lacey. These two will be a huge win for the ministry and the fame of Jesus in Omaha. Welcome these guys when you see them.

Jon is planning on dusting off this blog site and keeping it fresh with some more frequent thoughts from what God has been teaching us at 8:08. Look forward to hearing more from him.