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The Sons of Ingratitude
The Gospel of Luke
Luke Chapter 15
Scripture= Luke chapter 15:28-31(New Living Translation)
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.
Observations and Applications=
Ingratitude; just the word stirs me up inside. Have you ever done something for someone; I mean you went out of your way and worked really hard to pull it off and then the person didn’t even acknowledge your effort let alone say thank you?
It makes you go off. You might say, “I’ll never do anything for them ever again!” Or maybe you have said, “How could someone be so selfish or so insensitive?” You feel unappreciated and even taken advantage of.
The incredible thing about this whole scenario is; that if you were doing this for someone, then the true gift of your actions was in your giving and not in an acknowledgement from the receiver! I know that seems hard to understand but the real issue is the motive for your giving. Did you give simply to receive something in return? If you did then honestly, your actions were more selfish than your non-responsive recipient. Your gift was simply a manipulative lever for self gratification.
The whole point is the motivation behind your giving. Why did you give the gift in the first place? A gift given in love is given without strings attached. It is simply a gift of love. Yes, you might be disappointed if you receive no response because we wanted the recipient of our love to know the reason we gave them the gift. But as hard as it is, we have to remember that the gift was given simply because of our love.
Our passage of scripture today is from the story of the Prodigal Son. Probably one of the most well known of all of Jesus’ parables. Note the response of the elder son at the return of his prodigal brother.
‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
It makes you wonder about the motivation behind his obedience doesn’t it? Did he ever appreciate all that the father was giving him? Was he anymore grateful than his younger brother? Yes, his prodigal brother had expressed his ingratitude by taking his inheritance and leaving but was the elder son any more grateful or appreciative? The elder son claimed to be faithful and obedient but the question to be asked is why? It might have looked good from the outside but it seems like his behavior was just as selfish as his younger brother.
The Pharisees were so upset that Jesus was hanging out with sinners and would never admit that they too needed God’s grace. Jesus’ story tells us that obedience for recognition is like giving a gift for recognition. We can never manipulate God into giving us favor. Why do we live a life of obedience to God? Is it to receive something in return? I guess in a way our answer would be yes, to hear, ‘well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord.’ I think more than this however, the motivation of our obedience should be our gratitude for the Heavenly Father’s gifts of grace, mercy, forgiveness and love! We are all prodigals the only difference is the manifestation of our ingratitude. What motivates you to stay faithful to your Father’s cause?
Prayer=
Lord, I thank you for loving me and extending to me your grace. May I share your heart that no one should perish and be grateful when my brothers and sisters find their way home?
The Gospel of Luke
Luke Chapter 15
Scripture= Luke chapter 15:28-31(New Living Translation)
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.
Observations and Applications=
Ingratitude; just the word stirs me up inside. Have you ever done something for someone; I mean you went out of your way and worked really hard to pull it off and then the person didn’t even acknowledge your effort let alone say thank you?
It makes you go off. You might say, “I’ll never do anything for them ever again!” Or maybe you have said, “How could someone be so selfish or so insensitive?” You feel unappreciated and even taken advantage of.
The incredible thing about this whole scenario is; that if you were doing this for someone, then the true gift of your actions was in your giving and not in an acknowledgement from the receiver! I know that seems hard to understand but the real issue is the motive for your giving. Did you give simply to receive something in return? If you did then honestly, your actions were more selfish than your non-responsive recipient. Your gift was simply a manipulative lever for self gratification.
The whole point is the motivation behind your giving. Why did you give the gift in the first place? A gift given in love is given without strings attached. It is simply a gift of love. Yes, you might be disappointed if you receive no response because we wanted the recipient of our love to know the reason we gave them the gift. But as hard as it is, we have to remember that the gift was given simply because of our love.
Our passage of scripture today is from the story of the Prodigal Son. Probably one of the most well known of all of Jesus’ parables. Note the response of the elder son at the return of his prodigal brother.
‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
It makes you wonder about the motivation behind his obedience doesn’t it? Did he ever appreciate all that the father was giving him? Was he anymore grateful than his younger brother? Yes, his prodigal brother had expressed his ingratitude by taking his inheritance and leaving but was the elder son any more grateful or appreciative? The elder son claimed to be faithful and obedient but the question to be asked is why? It might have looked good from the outside but it seems like his behavior was just as selfish as his younger brother.
The Pharisees were so upset that Jesus was hanging out with sinners and would never admit that they too needed God’s grace. Jesus’ story tells us that obedience for recognition is like giving a gift for recognition. We can never manipulate God into giving us favor. Why do we live a life of obedience to God? Is it to receive something in return? I guess in a way our answer would be yes, to hear, ‘well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord.’ I think more than this however, the motivation of our obedience should be our gratitude for the Heavenly Father’s gifts of grace, mercy, forgiveness and love! We are all prodigals the only difference is the manifestation of our ingratitude. What motivates you to stay faithful to your Father’s cause?
Prayer=
Lord, I thank you for loving me and extending to me your grace. May I share your heart that no one should perish and be grateful when my brothers and sisters find their way home?
