And he said to him, 'My child, you have always been with me, and all that is mind is yours. But we had to be merry and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.'
Luke 15:29-32
This son was suffering from confused obedience and a distorted perspective of his father and himself. Oh boy, we Believers fall into this trap so easily if we don't keep our heart tender toward the LORD.
The son somewhere along the line thought his obedience was why his father loved him. He thought his obedience made him worthy of his father's love and attention. He found confidence and pride in his obedience. He knew that was why he was a good son to his father.
All of these beliefs were turned upside down when his dad rejoiced with the return of the wayward son who messed up royally.This did not compute in the older son's brain because his obedience was not done with the right motives. Somewhere along the line his obedience went from obeying and being a good son because he loved and trusted his father to being an obedient son because that meant he earned his dad's love and trust. It went from a father-centered obedience to a self-centered obedience.
So, why do we obey God? Why do we follow Him? Are we doing it because we love Him, because we trust Him and what He says?
From http://bible.cc/john/15-10.htm (this is a great site to look up scripture. You can see a bunch of versions at once): GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
If you obey my commandments, you will live in my love. I have obeyed my Father's commandments, and in that way I live in his love. John 15:10
Or are we obeying because we think that makes us good people; or, we think if we are obedient we earn God's love. We can't ever earn God's love. Ever.
New Living Translation (©2007)
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "Only God is truly good. Luke 18:19
Reason? First, God loves us no matter what. And second, we could never been good enough. Do you know what the standard is? Jesus. Perfection.
New Living Translation (©2007)
But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48
So, here's the thought. If you are feeling miffed or slighted because it seems God isn't "rewarding" you enough for your good behavior, check your heart. If you can't rejoice when other Believers are receiving good things from God, then something is wrong. If you can't rejoice when a really "bad" sinner comes to God and gets a bunch of love from God, then your heart isn't reflecting Jesus whatsoever.
We can all easily fall into this trap. It's called the religious trap. As easily as it is to fall into, God can pull us out just as quickly.