Called to Reign: Living and Loving from a Place of Rest

by Leif Hetland

This son is as far from the father as a son can get. The religious leaders would be so outraged at this character that they would stone him if he were there.

He doesn’t really repent—

He is still thinking about himself and what course of action would be in his best interests.

Not only was he eager to see his son; he may have also wanted to prevent an honor killing. Such a son would have been an offense to the entire community. The father didn’t want the villagers to stone him. He had to reach him first.

He embraced him and kissed him—

just as if he had never done anything wrong.

but this might have been when the son began to break down.

When you see this kind of unconditional love and acceptance, you begin to think about yourself the way God thinks about you.

His love does something to you.

This is about much more than dealing with sin and rebellion; it’s about undoing the root of the orphan heart. That’s what God’s love goes after. Again, the Father wants His family back.

The robe is a picture of justification by faith—

ring, a symbol of identity, intimacy, and authority.

sandals on his feet so he can walk as a family member in the shoes of peace.

Immediately upon his return, the son has already been justified and given everything he needs to represent the father’s house. He has the robe of righteousness, the ring of identity and authority, the sandals of peace, and a celebration of the relationship. He has found rest—a restored identity, ...

The older brother was out in the field when his younger brother returned. He was not in a resting place; he was busy working for the father. He was d...

He does not have the same rebellious spirit the younger son has. Instead, he has a religious spirit.

This brother was doing all the right things for God, but he did not know how to work from God. He was in a restless place because he did not know how to be a son in the father’s living room.

God is not after servants – He desires relationship. He wants a living room full of sons and daughters who know how to simply be in His presence.

God already has multitudes of angels who can serve Him 24 hours a day; He doesn’t need or want ser...

God wants His children—both the rebellious and religious ones—to come home and enjoy His fellowship. Yes, there are things to do and responsibilities to fulfill, but this relationship begins first and foremost with identity.

Millions of people are out there doing the work of the kingdom in order to prove to themselves and others that they are important in the kingdom.

You will never be satisfied chasing after identity in what you do and what you have. You can only do and have from the identity you already have—if you know who you really are as an anointed son or daughter of a good, good Father. You can only experience the kingdom from a place of rest.

revealed. Notice that as soon as His identity was established, Satan came and tried to destroy that identity.

destiny. If we can recognize who Jesus is and understand His identity, we begin to recognize who we are. Once we understand who we are, we can begin the journey home to the heart of the Father. Kingdom living begins with identity.

REFLECTIONS Spend time reflecting on the three baptisms that took place when Jesus was baptized – the baptism of water, the baptism of the Spirit, and the baptism of love. Examine the three reformations highlighted in the story of the prodigal son: the robe, which represents justification by faith, the family ring, which is a symbol of identity, intimacy and authority, and the sandals that allow the wayward son to walk as a family member in the shoes of peace. Reflect on these three reformations as they apply to your own life. Write down what you hear God saying to you during this reflection time. Two parables from the book of Luke, chapter 15, are used to teach on three reformations: the doctrinal reformation of the 1500s, the Holy Spirit reformation beginning in the early 1900s, and the reformation of love that is currently unfolding. Reflect on the impact of the first two reformations – access to the Word of God, and encountering the Holy Spirit – upon your life thus far. How could a new reformation that releases the love of the Father influence the world through your life?

ACTIVATION Identify areas of restlessness in your life, and then think about the times when you have been able to come into a place of rest with God. Develop a plan of action for moving from restlessness to rest that you can put into practice in your day-to-day life. Make a list the “fruits” that have come from those times when you have been able to come into a place of rest with God. Next, commit to setting aside a time to rest in God’s presence daily for one week. At the end of the week, note the fruits of your time with God. It may be helpful to identify those areas of your life where you need to build in healthy margins for rest to include stopping, receiving, recharging, and realigning. Prayerfully consider how you might be more vulnerable with God.

now. It really is possible to receive a kingdom inheritance now and draw on the resources of heaven. How? By knowing who we are and whose we are. When we experience the inheritance that is available to us, we become a resting place where heaven is attracted to the Christ that has found a home in us.

inheritance. God has poured the spirit of sonship into our hearts (Galatians 4:4-6)

all that He has is ours (L...

we share in the family inheritance. Jesus is the Son who inherits...

and for whom all things were made (Col...

So this is a pretty enormous ...

co-heirs with Jesus (Rom...

every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ...

When we value something in the kingdom of God, we steward it. When we steward what God has given us, we can multiply it.

They were willing to do anything that was needed to recapture what was valuable to them.

energy. God has provided a heaven full of resources that He wants to see His sons and daughters bring to earth.

One of the reasons we write such small checks from our heavenly account is that we don’t know the value of what we’ve been given.

Having looked at who we are and whose we are, we can now look at what we have as heirs of the Father’s estate.

One view thinks in terms of inheritance, the other in terms of profit and loss.

There needs to be honor. When we value God, we value people.

Many of us today have received gifts and blessings from above. How we deal with them will determine how we will be entrusted with heavenly riches.

“all that I have is yours” (15:31). The inheritance is there. It has been there all along. The father has not been withholding anything. He is simply waiting for his sons to become mature enough to move in their inheritance.

self. It’s very subtle when we begin valuing God and others for what they do for us rather than who they are. This kind of thinking is rooted in an orphan heart.

“Now let’s talk about inheritance. I have an estate, and I want you to be part of the estate planning. You can steward what I have and multiply it, and we will fill this earth with My glory so people will know I’m a good Father.”

Everything we’ve been looking for can be found at His home in His presence, a place of security, love, value, purpose, and affirmation that we receive in intimacy with Him.

inheritance. The robe transforms you from a sinner to a saint; the Father sees it and sees righteousness. The signature ring allows you to represent your Father. When you go into the store with that ring, you can sign for anything. It means the Father is responsible to cover your expenses.

The good news of the kingdom is that the inheritance has already been provided. We can begin stepping into it now if there is genuine repentance that shifts the way we think, so we see ourselves as the Father sees us and then understand, value, steward, and multiply what we have been given.

He is saying, “Here is the master key to the safe. I can trust you with it because you have My heart as My son or daughter. The son in Jesus’ parable had always been a son, but he was a rebellious son with self at the center of his life. When his father gave him the ring, he had responsibility to steward his father’s estate.

well. When we get a revelation of who we are and whose we are, we have no desire to return to anything else. We realize we have a responsibility to represent our Father, to loose and bind things in His kingdom. We wear the ring with understanding.