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Fool for the City from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

Jesus told a story about a young man who was living a comfortable life and had a bright future ahead of him. Although the man was unnamed in the story, let's call him Richmond.

Richmond lived on his wealthy father's farm and helped oversee the work of maintaining it. In the ancient Near East, this would have been tending to crops, managing livestock, and maintaining the property, like cutting grass and mending fences. Hired hands did most of the work, but Richmond probably spent some time in the field as well. All in all, it was a good life with no lack, and his father loved him. Richmond was his youngest son.

Yet, Richmond couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing out on something better. Just as with Adam and Eve, paradise is not enough for the heart. It seemed that here, there was only getting up, working, eating, and going to bed. Richmond daydreamed what life would be like in Paris, somewhere far, far away from here, where he could party all night and sleep until the afternoon. "Farm living is not the life for me! Under the bright lights of the city are where I want to be."

Try as he might, Richmond couldn't shake off the grass is greener mentality, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted it. The idea of true freedom consumed him. It snowballed and clouded his mind. "I'm gonna get far, far away from here." Young Richmond saw his father as a suppressing force and his father's property as the answer to his problems. He felt his father owed him some of it.

Finally, Richmond did the unthinkable at the time and asked his loving father for his inheritance before he was even dead. The father perhaps wisely saw the only way to save this son was to give him exactly what he lusted for, to let him live through it and experience it to the fullest, so he divided up his property. 

(Luke 15:11–13 ESV)  And he said, "There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.' And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living."

Richmond took all of his inheritance and traveled to a faraway country where the drinks were strong and the women friendly. His nights were full, and his days, he didn't remember. Young Richmond was too busy looking for love in all the wrong places. He pursued fun and pleasure, even though his bank account grew smaller each day, and soon, the great economic downturn of 18 AD was upon him.  

(Luke 15:14–16 NKJV)  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.

Poor Richmond was now broke, bankrupt, and working at a hog farm. This was as low as a Jewish man could go. A month ago, Richmond had been on top of the world; now, the world was on top of him. All of his friends fled like roaches when a light is turned on, as Solomon said:

(Proverbs 14:20 NKJV)  The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor, But the rich has many friends.

Sadly, Richmond was no longer rich. He had wasted his father's inheritance pursuing fun. Oh, he had bought some, but fun can be fleeting, and so were his friends. Richmond had journeyed from the pinnacle of prestige to the valley of outcasts.

Richmond was hungry and alone, except for these pigs. He used to command servants; now, servants were a rank above him. And it was all because he had gotten exactly what he wanted and asked for. Richmond could honestly look back and sing, "I did it my way..." He could look in the mirror and say, "I am a self-made man."

The grass certainly wasn't greener over here at all; there was no grass, only a thick layer of mud that reeked with the powerful stench of excrement. Richmond's father would have never wanted this life for him, but the heart wants what the heart wants. A man must follow his heart instead of his brain, right? 

(Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV)  "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

One thing we can learn from Richmond's story is that if you want to wake up in a pig sty, don't work, pursue fun every day, and follow your heart instead of your Heavenly Father's advice. The Lord's commandments are there to protect us, and when we toss them aside and choose to do the opposite, we seem shocked that bad things happen. "Oh, woe is me!" 

Today, victimhood, entitlement, and "don't judge me" has become a modern religion. Our problems are always because of someone else. Let me be frank: my mom divorced nine times, but I can't blame her for the stupid things I did. Richmond, I, and others have done a lot of dumb things simply because we wanted to. I am the man.

In deliverance, the spirit of self-pity is one of the most difficult to get free of because it convinces you that everyone around you is the problem. It becomes your one true friend and whispers, "They all hate you." People cling to their comforting spirits, shut everyone out, and are gradually separated from those who could help. But there is hope, for the Lord can bring us to our senses, just as He did with Richmond:

(Luke 15:17 NASB)  "But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!"

Richmond came to his senses. Amen! He saw the light. He began asking the right questions: What am I doing here? Why am I dying of hunger? I could go home!

(Luke 15:18–19 NASB)  'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men." '

Richmond decided to return home to his father, and he rehearsed a speech of repentance. He would work for his father as one of the hired men and be so thankful. So he began the long journey home, walking barefooted in tattered clothes. 

(Luke 15:20 NASB)  "So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

His father saw Richmond coming down the road, felt compassion, and ran to meet him. Richmond must have looked a mess as the father called for a servant to quickly bring him a robe, sandals, and a signet ring. Practically a full outfit for the time.

(Luke 15:22 ESV)  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.'

The father ignored Richmond's long-winded speech and began to plan a celebration in his honor. He was so happy to have his son back with him that they ate the fatted calf, which was reserved for special occasions. Then the father said something very important:

(Luke 15:23–24 ESV)  And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate.

The father described Richmond as dead and lost while he was gone. Now that he had returned, he was alive and found. So, in this story, we have young Richmond at home with his father, alive and found. Then, he left to go on a walk-a-bout and became dead and lost, but when he returned, he was alive and found again. This is just food for thought when you are pursuing your passions instead of God.  

As far as we know, Richmond lived happily ever after at his father's house. I bet there were no more thoughts about the grass being greener on the other side. Richmond was cured of green grass syndrome. 

Too many of the Lord's people live in a pig sty, but the sty is not supposed to be their home. They landed there by deliberate choices, and there is no one else to blame. Repentance: changing your direction is the remedy. Richmond chose the fun path, which turned out to be the path of poverty and lack, but he came to his senses before it was too late for him. Too many do not wake up in time.

You can pray this with me if you like: 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please draw my heart to You. Forgive me for the things I have done wrong. Forgive me for ever being entitled or taking You for granted. You deserve better. From this day forward, I will appreciate what You have given me. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!