Quote from Forum Archives on March 21, 2011, 10:24 pm

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

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Classic from 2003

03.21.11

Pathetic

And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to
a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But
when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he
began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that
country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly
have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave
him anything. - Luke 15:13-16.

A German medical worker, while assisting patients on an ambulance, was found
to be robbing helpless patients on their way to the hospital. Several
patients did report items being stolen, and all of the thefts occurred on
one 21-year-old man's shift. A trap was set for the man, and he was caught,
and arrested. The man did confess to stealing from six patients, and
according to a Munich Police spokesperson, "He said that he was short of
money."

How did the ambulance robber, and the prodigal son, arrive at their pathetic
situations? It was a gradual process. It may have been one key event that
triggered the downward spiral, but once triggered, the spiral was more and
more down into the morass of rebellion against God.

Several words are used to describe the word "pathetic" in the dictionary:
affecting, distressing, emotional, emotive, heartbreaking, heart-rending,
lamentable, moving, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, plaintive, poignant, sad,
stirring, touching, tragic. The words that best describe for me, the
ambulance robber and the prodigal son are "pitiful, sad, and tragic." Their
situation is pitiful, sad, and tragic because it didn't have to be that way.
Instead of being in a downward spiral they could have been in an upward
spiral. We know the prodigal son eventually came to his senses and returned
home to his father with a humble spirit. I pray the ambulance robber may
someday come to his senses, as well.

Are you in a pathetic condition or situation? God is the answer to whatever
that condition or situation may be. Will you come to your senses and realize
that you need God? Will you come to your senses and take advantage of the
resources of God? So many people whine that God did this or did that to them
or that God won't do this or that. However, so many times those people are
the ones who hardly ever go to church, or open up the Bible to read and
study it, or spend more than a very few moments in prayer. If we will return
to our Father, spend time with Him, and serve Him; we will find that instead
of a downward spiral we are in an upward spiral.

Copyright © 2003-2011. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the
devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush
website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email
version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began
writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first
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