EL CAMINO A CASA Leccion 4

El Camino a Casa, un estudio bíblico para reclusos, escrito por el pastor Leroy Johnson y producido por Cristo para todas las naciones. Todos los derechos reservados, 2024. Escuchemos la introducción de la lección cuatro. ¡Buenos tiempos! ¿Lo son realmente? ¡Bienvenidos! El hijo perdido finalmente viaja a su nuevo lugar. Ya está lejos de casa y comienza su nueva vida, pensando todo el tiempo que sus sueños y deseos finalmente se han hecho realidad. Nos lo imaginamos diciéndose a sí mismo. Solo tengo una vida que vivir, sé que tal vez estuvo mal salir de casa como lo hice, pero... Más adelante se pregunta. ¿Cómo diablos llegué aquí? ¿Qué hice mal? ¿Qué pasó con mi dinero, mi salud, mi familia y mi carrera? Todo sucedió tan rápido. ¿Qué he hecho? Lo que le sucedió al hijo perdido es lo que nos sucede a muchos de nosotros cuando caemos en las tentaciones que nos presenta el diablo. A nuestro sentido siempre le parece bien hacer el mal, pero grande es el costo del viaje en busca de placeres egoístas. Placeres que nos dañan a nosotros y a los demás. Quiero que empecemos meditando estas palabras que hallamos en Proverbios capítulo 9, versos 13 al 18, donde dice La necedad es como una mujer chismosa, tonta e ignorante. Se sienta en una silla a las puertas de su casa, en la parte más alta de la ciudad, y llama a los caminantes que van por buen camino, Vengan acá, jóvenes inexpertos. Manda a decir a los imprudentes, el agua robada es más sabrosa, el pan comido a escondida sabe mejor. Pero ellos no saben que sus invitados son ahora sombras en el reino de la muerte. Para pescar usamos un cebo que atraiga a los peces, pero también disfrazamos el anzuelo. Como vemos en las escrituras anteriores, hacer el mal es lindo en su momento. Es decir, a puerta cerrada, durante la noche, en otra ciudad, en la cama de otro hombre, gastando el dinero robado del banco. Pero el final siempre es doloroso. En nuestro camino con el hijo perdido, veremos lo que parecen ser buenos tiempos y a dónde nos llevan. Leemos en la historia del hijo pródigo que, pocos días después, el hijo menor empacó sus pertenencias y se mudó a una tierra distante, donde derrochó todo su dinero en una vida desenfrenada. Al mismo tiempo que se le acabó el dinero, hubo una gran hambruna en todo el país y él comenzó a morirse de hambre. ¿Qué son los buenos tiempos?

Son esos momentos de la vida en los que buscamos divertirnos al máximo y simplemente vivir. Para muchas personas se trata de una falsa sensación de placer, una imitación de lo real. El precio que se paga es a menudo muy alto por la breve cantidad de diversión que se experimenta. Proverbios 21.17 dice, Los que aman el placer se vuelven pobres. Los que aman el vino y el lujo nunca llegarán a ser ricos. Estos viven para divertirse, bailar, beber, fumar cigarrillos o marihuana e inyectarse drogas. La música rap también encajaría aquí con sus mensajes degradantes para las mujeres y sus peroratas negativas sobre la sociedad y la cultura. Para muchos buscadores de placer, los buenos momentos significan ir a Las Vegas para ser bombardeados por todas las luces, alcohol, casinos y máquinas tragamonedas que puedan encontrar. A veces ganan. Pero más que nada pierden. Es tener relaciones sexuales fuera del matrimonio, violar a alguien y tener relaciones sexuales en grupo que terminan en embarazos no deseados. and discover that they have AIDS. It is driving under the effects of alcohol, destroying the car and finding that all the companions died. It is traveling in a stolen car, betting all the money or stealing someone's credit card and emptying the account. It is abusing the elderly, children or even animals just for fun. It is stealing someone's identity, hacking their computer or entering their house. And let's not forget the disasters caused by pornography and sexual abuse. Ephesians 4.19 says, They have lost their shame, live for sensual pleasures

and practice with pleasure all kinds of impurity. There is a correct and incorrect way to have a good time and sometimes, if we are not careful, abundance can cause big problems. Proverbs 20.21 says, An inheritance that is obtained too early in life, in the end, is not a blessing. In previous lessons we saw how the lost child made wrong decisions by listening to bad advice and left his house too soon, without seeking the advice or wisdom of his father. The same happens in our days with those who live only for the moment. Like the lost child, they have no life experience in their being, so they believe they know more than they really know. Sometimes they also feel that their parents or people with authority do not want them to experience and enjoy life. Often, in reality, this is far from the truth. Real or true fun never hurts anyone or puts them at a disadvantage. So, in the future, when you decide if something is right, ask yourself this question. Will this hurt me or someone else? Be honest with your answer. If what you want is to consume drugs or have sex with someone, it is likely that this will negatively affect you and, most likely, another person. And what about God? Will it hurt God? Sin also hurts God, as we see in Genesis 6. Most people never think that way, but asking yourself these kinds of questions will save you a lot of pain and anguish. Throughout the years we have visited prisons, thousands of men and women have said, If I could live my life again, I would do everything differently.

The lost son soon reached that point in his life. He was at the height of his good times when the problems came. Scripture says that a great famine struck the earth and he began to starve. The good times for him ended suddenly. Oh no, he lost everything, says Luke 15.14. At the same time that he ran out of money, there was a great famine throughout the country and he began to starve. Isn't that how things usually happen? The world calls it bad luck, but as Christians we see how people generally fall into sin in Satan's trap and Satan steals them. The lost son is now in trouble. As 1 Peter 4.3 says, In the past they have had more than enough of the perverse things they like to do to those who do not have God. Immorality and sexual passions, parades, drunkenness, unbridled parties, and abominable worship of idols. Sin has a high price. What are you going to do now? Let me close with this question that invites us to think. Does God want us to enjoy life? In John 10.10 the purpose of the thief is to steal, kill and destroy us. But Jesus said that his purpose is to give us a rich and satisfactory life. The writer of Ecclesiastes said the following. Even so, I have noticed at least one positive thing. It is good that people eat, drink, and enjoy the work they do under the sun during the short period of life that God has granted them, and that they accept their destiny. And in chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes we are told, So I came to the conclusion that there is nothing better than rejoicing and enjoying life while we can. So, if you ask yourself if God wants you to enjoy life, the answer is yes.

But this must be done in a way that pleases God, as discussed above. And your good moments should never hurt you or anyone else. Questions to apply what you have learned Where did the lost son go when he left his house? Scripture says he spent his money on what kind of life? How can you know if something is good for you? And you can ask yourself, does it hurt you or someone else? Or does it hurt God? What is delayed gratification? What caused the lost son to destroy all his inheritance? What happened to him when he ran out of money? Good times, are they really? We can conclude this lesson by saying that, in reality, they are not as good as we would like to think. It is probably more accurate to say that the so-called good times, as they present themselves to us, are actually a false feeling of pleasure, an imitation of the real. They are a madness and a trap set by Satan, in which both young and old fall. The lost son finally touches the bottom. In fact, maybe you are at the lowest point of your life and you have no hope at this moment. Beyond where you are at this moment, God, in his loving kindness and mercy, always gives us a way out of our pain. It may not always be as fast as we would like, but he provides us with a way out, and that way out is through his word. My question for you is, will you take his way out? Let us now continue this biblical study, going to lesson 5. The lost son touches the bottom. Go ahead. This was El Camino a Casa, a biblical study for inmates, written by Pastor Leroy Johnson and produced by Christ for All Nations. All Rights Reserved. 2024.