How can we avoid the elder brother's resentment towards others' blessings?

Setting the Scene

Luke 15:30: “But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!”

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Recognizing the Roots of Resentment

• Comparison: measuring God’s goodness by what someone else receives

• Self-righteousness: believing our service earns extra favor (cf. Luke 18:11-12)

• Forgetfulness: losing sight of the Father’s constant provision (Luke 15:31)

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Remembering Our True Identity

• We are already “always with” the Father (Luke 15:31)

• All He has is ours in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)

• Our value rests in adoption, not accomplishment (Romans 8:15-17)

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Rejoicing in God’s Grace to Others

• Grace is not a pie that runs out; it overflows (John 1:16)

• Shared celebration honors the Giver (Romans 12:15)

• Their testimony strengthens the whole body (1 Corinthians 12:26)

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Practicing Gratitude Daily

• List specific mercies each morning (Lamentations 3:22-23)

• Thank God aloud when others are blessed (Psalm 35:27)

• Recall past deliverances to quiet envy (Psalm 103:2)

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Serving with the Father’s Heart

• Serve from love, not leverage (Colossians 3:23-24)

• Invest in the lost; heaven rejoices with one sinner repenting (Luke 15:7, 10)

• Seek hidden acts of kindness; secrecy purifies motives (Matthew 6:3-4)

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Resting in the Father’s Presence

• Spend unhurried time in Scripture and prayer; delight precedes duty (Psalm 27:4)

• Let the Spirit affirm sonship, displacing insecurity (Galatians 4:6)

• Rest keeps work from becoming wages owed (Hebrews 4:9-11)

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Scriptures to Anchor These Truths

• Numbers 11:29 — “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”

• John 3:27 — “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.”

• James 1:17 — “Every good and perfect gift is from above…”

• Philippians 4:11-13 — Contentment learned in every circumstance

Living in these truths steers the heart away from the elder brother’s resentment and into the joy of the Father’s generous love.