God's Ways and His Grace
God’s Ways and His Grace
Imagine you have a job that pays $500 for an 8 hour day. In this job, you started working at 9 AM till 5 PM. Now another co-worker came to work at 1 PM and worked till 5 PM. At pay time, the owner of the company pays your co-worker $500 and turns around and paid you $500. How would you feel about what you were paid, about the owner and about your co-worker’s pay?
That is exactly what happened in Jesus’ story below. Does the owner of the company have a right to pay you what you agreed to, $500 and pay your co-worker $500 too?
Put another way, is it fair for the owner to show grace to who he chooses to show mercy and grace? God is fair but he is also merciful and gracious. He chooses to give people more than they deserve.
Can’t God do what he wants to do beyond being fair? Fairness is what we deserve. We have sinned and punishment for sin is death – that is fair. It is fair to give us our due punishment but God has chosen to give us mercy and grace – more than we deserve. Aren’t we blessed we are not getting fairness from God?
All that we have is from God and all that we have is more than we deserve. Can we change our attitude towards God and towards other people today? There is no room for envy but gratitude to God. That is while we exist – to worship God.
Let us worship God today for the gift of Christ this Christmas and tell others about God’s goodness, mercies and grace. It started on Christmas and was multiplied on the Cross by Christ’s death, burial and resurrection all for penalty for our sins. That is the Gospel, the good news that our sins are paid for in the past, present and future as we put our trust and faith in Christ.
There is room for any to work in gratitude for God regardless of when you start. You can start today to speak about Christ to all if this has not become your lifestyle. The landowner like our Lord is going out all day looking for people willing to work in his field of harvest. At least, consider ordering Gospel tracts to give people you meet. You will be surprised the open doors for conversation about Christ.
Thank you Lord! We worship you and praise you forever. Forgive us for any murmuring spirit and ingratitude. Fill us with your joy of abundant grace. Amen
Matthew 20
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.5
Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle,[a] and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’[b]
8 “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.
11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”[c]
Imagine you have a job that pays $500 for an 8 hour day. In this job, you started working at 9 AM till 5 PM. Now another co-worker came to work at 1 PM and worked till 5 PM. At pay time, the owner of the company pays your co-worker $500 and turns around and paid you $500. How would you feel about what you were paid, about the owner and about your co-worker’s pay?
That is exactly what happened in Jesus’ story below. Does the owner of the company have a right to pay you what you agreed to, $500 and pay your co-worker $500 too?
Put another way, is it fair for the owner to show grace to who he chooses to show mercy and grace? God is fair but he is also merciful and gracious. He chooses to give people more than they deserve.
Can’t God do what he wants to do beyond being fair? Fairness is what we deserve. We have sinned and punishment for sin is death – that is fair. It is fair to give us our due punishment but God has chosen to give us mercy and grace – more than we deserve. Aren’t we blessed we are not getting fairness from God?
All that we have is from God and all that we have is more than we deserve. Can we change our attitude towards God and towards other people today? There is no room for envy but gratitude to God. That is while we exist – to worship God.
Let us worship God today for the gift of Christ this Christmas and tell others about God’s goodness, mercies and grace. It started on Christmas and was multiplied on the Cross by Christ’s death, burial and resurrection all for penalty for our sins. That is the Gospel, the good news that our sins are paid for in the past, present and future as we put our trust and faith in Christ.
There is room for any to work in gratitude for God regardless of when you start. You can start today to speak about Christ to all if this has not become your lifestyle. The landowner like our Lord is going out all day looking for people willing to work in his field of harvest. At least, consider ordering Gospel tracts to give people you meet. You will be surprised the open doors for conversation about Christ.
Thank you Lord! We worship you and praise you forever. Forgive us for any murmuring spirit and ingratitude. Fill us with your joy of abundant grace. Amen
Matthew 20
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.5
Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle,[a] and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’[b]
8 “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.
11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”[c]
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