Wasting Grace? The Prodigal Son and the Life That Pleases the Father
The Father is not looking for a servant—He is embracing a son.
Some say we must not “waste” the grace given to us at salvation, urging us to live a life that pleases God through diligent effort. The concern is understandable—Paul himself says in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain.” But what does it mean for grace to be “in vain”? Many interpret it as a warning against failing to produce enough good works, as though God’s grace is measured by our output. But is that truly what pleases Him?
Jesus offers a different picture—one that shatters our performance-driven mindset.
The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) tells the story of a young man who indeed “wasted” everything his father gave him. He squandered his inheritance, lived recklessly, and reached the lowest point imaginable. From a human perspective, he epitomized failure. If anyone had displeased his father, it was him. Yet, what pleased the father was not his son’s effort to make amends, nor a resolved determination to live better—it was the moment he returned.
This returning was not an act of self-improvement; in fact, the son came back with a servant’s mindset, expecting to work his way into his father’s favor. But the father had no interest in a servant—he wanted his son. He interrupted the boy’s rehearsed speech, disregarded his self-imposed status, and lavished him with honor: the best robe, a ring, a feast. His joy was not in what the son promised to do, but in the fact that he was home.
How easily we miss this! We think God is pleased with our efforts, our moral improvement, our acts of service. But what pleases Him is our union with Him—our complete trust, our surrender, our resting in the love that He has already provided.
The older brother in the parable represents the mindset that many Christians struggle with. He had worked tirelessly, seeking to earn his father’s approval. And yet, despite his labor, he had no understanding of his father’s heart. The tragedy is that he saw himself as a servant—just as his younger brother had before being restored—when all along, he was a son.
Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:10 do not point to human effort but to God’s grace at work in him. He says, “Yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” The works that flowed from Paul’s life were not his own—they were the fruit of a surrendered heart. He was not striving to make grace “worth it” but resting in the power of grace that had already made him what he was.
Many sermons today subtly shift the focus toward our responsibility to make something of grace, placing a weight upon believers that was never meant to be theirs. But the prodigal son’s story is a reminder: Grace is not wasted by a lack of performance, but by a refusal to rest in the love of the Father.
Personal Journal Reflection
Father, how often during my desert wanderings have I approached You like the prodigal son—believing I must earn back my place, prove my worth, or live up to the grace You’ve given? Or worse, how often have I been the older brother, toiling for what is already mine in Christ?
You are not looking for my performance—You are looking for my trust. You are not pleased by how much I accomplish but by my yielded heart, resting in the life of Christ within me. You delight when I cease striving and simply abide in You.
How liberating it is to know that I am already clothed in the best robe of righteousness, already sealed with the ring of sonship, already at the feast You have prepared. You have called me to live from that place of belonging, not to work for it.
The world and even well-meaning Christians will tell me otherwise. They will point to outcomes, to effort, to achievements. But You have made it clear—what pleases You is my faith, my trust in the One who lives in me. And from that trust, true obedience flows—not a burdensome duty, but a joyful surrender.
So today, I choose to rest in what You have already done. To trust in Your grace that is more than enough. To walk, not as a servant striving for approval, but as a son, secure in Your love.
Prayer
Father, You have already given me everything in Christ. I lack nothing. Your grace is not mine to improve upon but to receive and walk in. Thank You for the freedom of knowing that You are pleased with me, not because of what I do, but because I am Yours. I choose to live in that reality today, resting in the love You have so freely lavished upon me. Amen.
Intent of Image: A father joyfully embracing a returning child, symbolizing the prodigal’s homecoming.