In Luke 15 Jesus tells a story of a son who asked for his inheritance and went to a far country and wasted all he had on wine, women, and song. The prodigal is someone out of the will of the father. The Father is a picture of our heavenly Father who is always willing to take us back if we ask for forgiveness.
Satan deceives people into thinking they can be happy and prosper living in sin. The far country is wherever we go outside the will of God and make the decision to reject God's will and look for happiness through the lusts of the flesh. Satan tells us we can be happy following him if we get everything we want, and we do not have to give an account. However, everyone will die some day and give an account to God. The Christian religion influenced economists Adam Smith and Fredric Bastiat to believe an all-powerful God governed the affairs of men. Keynes opposed the Christian ethic of savings and thrift. He believed saving reflects a future orientation or a belief that there is something worth deferring present wants. A prodigal is someone who spends money in a reckless extravagant way with no thought of tomorrow. The U.S. has become a prodigal by running up a national debt of over $21 trillion dollars. The largest debt in the history of the world. We are living beyond our means with no concern for our grandchildren.
Social Security and Medicare entitlements in the U.S. have $210 trillion in unfunded obligations the government will not be able to fulfill. If the U. S. Government does not stop living beyond our means, as a prodigal, our history will not end well. We need to repent and turn back to God. Financial irresponsibility is a sign of moral decay.
