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Listen to the narration of today's devotional here: https://bit.ly/2Rmh8Rw
1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and he said to them, "You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, "Why are you standing here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, "Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, "You also go into the vineyard.' 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, "Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.' 9 When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 saying, "These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last." (Matthew 20:1-16 NRSV)
A blessed Monday to you and yours, dear Friend, is my prayer. I pray you had a wonderful weekend. May this week bless you with what you need to honor God more in your life and adventures. As we pray this morning I ask continued prayers for The Rev. Rob Clopton who is undergoing chemotherapy in Houston; I spoke with him this weekend and he's thankful that so far no side effects have affected him. He and wife Sandra found accommodations in a home sponsored by M.D. Anderson Hospital. Pray for his healing. Pray for those on your church's prayer list, your personal prayer list, and others who come into your heart and mind during the day. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
When I was a boy I learned a song that I sang joyfully and excitedly. I don't remember the name of the song, but the lyrics were quite clear: Don't do a half-day's work for the Lord and expect a full-day's pay; only what's done with all of your heart, counts on the judgment day." The older I got and the more we sang it, it didn't seem to hit me right especially after I started studying the Bible and especially this parable of Jesus. I know the author probably thought about the work we need to be doing for God and probably wanted to emphasize more the whole-hearted enthusiasm we should all hold in our hearts toward the work of Jesus.
Jesus is speaking of the Kingdom of Heaven, and who can get in. In this story, the landowner hires people at different times of the day, having promised the first group hired a wage recognized as "the usual daily wage." At nine o'clock, the landowner hires another group and says he would pay them "Whatever is right." At noon, and later at 3 p.m., he hires more workers, and then at 5 pm, he hires yet another group. Then at quitting time, all the workers received the same pay, much to the dismay of the 9 am group, who felt they had done more work and thus deserved more pay. Jesus simply says, "We agreed on a certain amount, and I paid you that; and because I am the owner I can pay the last group whatever amount I choose." Then Jesus' awesome saying, "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
What I believe this means, since the year those present when Jesus taught this, the people who heard that, believed it and received it, then lived it out, died. They entered into the Kingdom of Heaven. You and me, more than 2,000 years later, the same holds true for us. If we hear this, believe this, and receive this, at the end of our days, we, too, will enter into our enteral reward. Can you imagine one of us going up to Jesus and saying, "Lord, it does not seem fair to me that I came here so much later than Peter, James, and John!" Our reward will be the same as the first martyrs. And in all honesty, I don't believe our standing before Jesus in His Heavenly Kingdom will allow us to even think things like this! I, for one, will be thankful to stand before my King, and to hear His invitation for me to join Him for all eternity. I will not expect a refund on the days that others have spent there while I was on earth.
The same applies even today. As a youth growing up, we saw kids come to Jesus later than us, and then they were blessed with things others of us may not have received, but we rejoiced in their presence. As a pastor I had kids come and ask why when they had been members of the church longer, did they get overlooked for an office or a scholarship. This parable came to mind. And I said of the countless other places this your brother/sister could be, a gang, a drug dealer or drug user, so many other things, s/he is here with you and me, in the kingdom, doing kingdom work. And guess what? There's plenty of work to go around!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, may Your will be done on earth, while we wait and while we work, in ways that perhaps we do not yet fully understand, and know that we should accept all who labor alongside us. Bless us in our desire to do more to reach more. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bless someone with kingdom work that they need to receive.
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
