They are jealous of other doctors. Homemakers aren’t jealous of actresses. They are jealous of other homemakers. Pastors aren’t jealous of salesmen. They are jealous of other pastors. Jealousy will lead you to a lousy life. It will breed discontent. It will silence your applause. And every time we refrain from applauding, we are just slapping God in the face. We are saying, “God, you are not a generous God. You are not a gift-giving God, not a blessing God because I want it just for me.” See the contrast between joy and jealousy? There was joy going on in the house but the older brother stayed outside the house in jealousy.
Let’s look at the next contrast. It is the contrast between forgiveness and bitterness. Forgiveness and bitterness. The older brother was jealous and angry and that led into a feeling of bitterness. Yet the father was forgiving. Let’s pick up the text. Luke 15:28. “The older brother became angry and refused to go in….” He couldn’t even face his father or his brother. You know what the father did? The same dad who had earlier run to meet his younger son and then thrown him a party, went outside the house and pleads with the older brother, “Son, come in. Son, don’t miss the celebration. Please come in.” I can almost hear him saying to his older son, “It’s sad. It’s a sad, sad situation and it is getting more and more absurd. Why can’t we talk it over? It seems to me that sorry is the hardest word for you to say.” If only this older brother had apologized to his father, to his younger brother, look at the freedom, the adventure, the excitement that he could have experienced. But he stayed near the house, just hearing stuff and calling people, maybe on his cell phone.
Dr. Ed Young said we are walking with Him, and we think from the human perspective, oh the wall is too big, I can’t take the wall.
Tags: Ed Young, Ed Young Blog, Ed Young Fellowship, Ed Young Fellowship Church, Ed Young Jr, Ed Young Ministries, Ed Young Ministry, Ed Young Pastor, Fellowship Church Ed Young, Fellowship Church Grapevine, Pastor Ed Young
