A Daily Devotion for Wednesday, Feb. 4th
- ontrakk
- 11 hours ago
- 2 min read
Matthew 20:1-16
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
This is a fresh look for me- a look at a story I have read and have heard many, many times. What feels new to me today is the message that God loves all of us, and has more than enough love to go around. In the past, my takeaway message was something more along the lines of, “I can do what I want with my money- didn’t I pay you what I promised you?” And this look today points out the unnecessary discomfort that comes with comparing ourselves and our blessings with others’. God provides for us, and is available to us. We need only seek Him and trust Him.
Holy Lord, help me to remember I have more than enough. I need not compare myself to another. What I have and have not, is between you and me. I trust you, Lord. Amen
Becky, transforming
Matthew 20:1-16. More than enough
Although we often see this verse as Jesus explaining about fairness, verse 15 reminds us it is more about generosity--the vineyard owner's and Jesus'. We are offered grace and the kingdom of God. It doesn't matter when we ask and accept that grace. Whether as a child, an adult, or on our deathbed. It also doesn't matter who else knows it. These things are between ourselves and God.
Prayer: Gracious God, may I never question someone else's acceptance of your love. AMEN
Matthew 20:1-16
We live in a culture afflicted with a raging sense of entitlement. Often cast as “fairness,” it is nothing more than thinly veiled envy and jealousy. “How dare someone have this or that and I not. We are all equal and no one should have more than another.” Some of these folks will even cite Scripture as justification for this way of “being fair.” Others leverage this faulty thinking to foment social unrest and consolidate perceived power for themselves. As the writer of this morning’s Upper Room reflection points out, this misunderstanding can be corrected by looking at our world through the lens of abundance rather than scarcity. Are there greedy people who hoard for themselves? Absolutely, and…