Continuing our story of a boy who returned to the house that was no longer his home:

Was there joy in his heart? Did peace and contentment flood his soul? Did the stately house, the lawns, gardens, shrubs, the limousine and chauffeur bring joy and rest to him? Was he home?

Going to Heaven of itself would not bring lasting joy and rest to the believer. No paradise in the creation of God can bring joy and peace to any soul. It is only our relationship with God and other people that can bring joy and peace to us.

Then the young man journeyed to the small town where his family was living. As he walked up to the cottage he heard the voices of his family. He knocked on the door. When it opened he saw his father and mother, his brothers and sisters. There were cries of joy and loving embraces as he was made welcome. The family dog, now old and gray-muzzled, barked a greeting and wagged his tail as if it would break off. The familiar sights and sounds and smells told him that he was home.

It is people, not houses and grounds, who make a home.

Every human being has a longing in his heart to go home. He may deceive himself for many years as he plays with the toys of the world. But no person ever will attain joy and contentment in success, in money, in things; nor would he if he managed to acquire all the money in the world and were the most famous of all the inhabitants of the earth.

The story of the prodigal son is the account of every person's life.

When we are sick from attempting to satisfy our appetites with the glamour and tinsel of this Satan-filled world we are ready to "go home." We hunger for joy, for contentment, for security, for rest. But such can be found only in our relationships with Christ and with people.

We desire to be with God and our loved ones. When we die we want to be "gathered to our people," to use the scriptural expression. Apart from God and our loved ones there is no home, no inheritance.

We have been chosen to be ever with the Lord Jesus. That desire is deeper in our hearts than we may realize.

We may think of mansions and streets of gold as the deep longing of our heart. Even an unsaved person might well be of the same opinion concerning Heaven.

But as we begin to grow to maturity in Christ we understand that mansions and streets of gold will not satisfy the hunger of our soul. The cry of our heart is to be at rest in the Father through Christ, and then to be in a position to express Christ's love to other people. This is the land of promise toward which we are struggling while we are in the wilderness of this life. This is home. This is the inheritance.

What would Paradise mean to you if Christ and your loved ones were not there? If there were no person for you to love and help toward the knowledge of God, how would you feel? Would Paradise prove to be empty and cold? Would you be restless? Would all that the Holy Spirit has taught you be unused and wasted? Would your life be empty, void of meaning and purpose?

To be continued.