SELF -CONCERNED LIFESTYLE WITH NO GOODWILL TOWARDS OTHERS

“According to (Luke 15:1-6) “One day when many tax collectors and other outcasts came to listen to Jesus, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law started grumbling, “This man welcomes outcasts, and even eats with them!”  So Jesus told them this parable:  Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them—what do you do?  You leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the pasture and go looking for the one that got lost until you find it.  When you find it, you are so happy that you put it on your shoulders and carry it back home.  Then you call your friends and neighbours together and say to them, “I am so happy I found my lost sheep.  Let us celebrate!”  

 

Also the Parable of The Lost Son (Luke 15:24) “For this son of mine was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.  And so the feasting began.”

 

Jesus taught us in both of these parables that in celebrating the good for others and with others, brings blessings upon us with honouring and bringing “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men!” (Luke 2:14).  This is shown in our lives too when we can celebrate the good in the lives of other people’s as well as our own.  But unlike the goodwill shared among men with peace, comes a “Self-Concerned Lifestyle with no goodwill towards others” being evident as we read in (Luke 15:25-32) whereby we read of the older son who had faithfully remained at home with his father was not happy for his father celebrating the return of his brother, who had squandered all his inheritance, now was back and celebrated for his return to his father’s house.  The older brother did not even show any kindness for his father’s joy, but rather he became self-concerned with remarking in (Luke 15:29) after his father begged him to join him with the celebration, “Look all these years I have worked for you like a slave, and I have never disobeyed your orders.  What have you given me?”  See how the self-concern can stop the goodwill of sharing in the happiness of others?  We can learn from these parables how not to react to the success of others in sharing their happiness, for we are to have goodwill which brings peace and God’s blessings upon our own lives to receive the goodwill God purposed for all of us to give out, and receive as well.

 

(Matthew 18:1-5) tells us how to achieve and give our goodwill to others, when “The disciples came to Jesus asking, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”  So, Jesus called a child to come and stand in front of them, and said, “I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.  The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child.  And whoever welcomes in My name one such child as this, welcomes Me.”

 

Therefore, humility is what welcomes Jesus to celebrate with us when we can celebrate with others too in their happy times with goodwill towards men, as the angels gave praise to God rejoicing the Saviour’s birth in Bethlehem of His dearly begotten Son Jesus, who would bring peace, and goodwill towards all men, through His resurrection power on the cross at Calvary, when He paid for all our sins against mankind and Father God as well, for Jesus’ teachings of the Parables of The Lost Sheep, and The Lost Son in celebrating the happy times together would also “In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine respectable people who do not need to repent.”  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life we should choose by having goodwill towards men, to celebrate with them as well as with them for ourselves, and not just for ourselves in a self-concerned lifestyle with no goodwill towards others, in doing unto others as we would have them do to us showing humility towards others when we are not experiencing happy, but showing goodwill is forgetting self-concerned and being able to celebrate the happy times in celebrating other’s achievements and acquisitions, without jealousy or negative remarks, but be glad and rejoice at the glad tidings of others, so that God can bless us too with the celebration of our glad tidings as well.

 

(Psalm 4:7 NKJV) “You have put gladness in my heart.”  In all seasons God wants us to enjoy goodwill to others, as well in return for us, but if there is any self-concerned still prohibiting our gladness to celebrate the happy times with others, then we should repent of the “Self-Concerned Lifestyle with no goodwill towards others” so that God through Jesus can restore our peace, goodwill towards others, with gladness in our hearts, as well for our families by interceding for them,  saying, “In Jesus’ name on behalf of myself, and (the names of your family members”:

 

*”Lord Jesus you are our peace, but without goodwill in our hearts towards men, there is no gladness to celebrate with joy the achievements and acquisitions of your providences for myself or with others in our happy times.

 

Lord Jesus, I repent of self-concerned lifestyle with no goodwill towards others, robbing me of my humility to share in the happy celebrations of others in their achievements and acquisitions through your goodwill exhibited through my participation of celebrations with gladness and goodwill towards others.

 

Lord Jesus I am truly sorry for exhibiting a heart full of self-centred lifestyle with no goodwill towards others, and ask you Jesus to wash me with your precious blood shed at Calvary as an atonement for my sins to the Father, and may the Holy Spirit sanctify me now with your gladness in my heart, and gifted me with humility and goodwill towards others with your peace which surpasses all understanding giving “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men!” ((Luke 2:14).  And Jesus we ask for your precious bloodline to be drawn over our past and present lots with this regard, so be it Lord Jesus to do it, Amen!”