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About-Him.Com Devotional 05-07-2005
Http://About-Him.Com/ My Thoughts on the Life of Christ, from His Baptism to His Ascension. 176: Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard - Mt. 20:1-16 Matthew 20:1. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. It is apparent that the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is a direct reply of the Lord to Peter’s question in the preceding segment, “What about Us?” Here Jesus again lays out kingdom principals that are in direct opposition to our human way of thinking. A farmer had a crop that needed to be harvested. He went to the market place where men were waiting to be hired as day laborers. He sent them to his vineyard and agreed to pay them a penny for a day’s labor. He went again to the market place at the third, sixth, ninth eleventh hour of the day, and hired other laborers, agreeing only to pay them that which was right. When the day’s labor was finished the farmer told his steward to assemble the workers and pay them, beginning with those who had been hired at the last hour of the work day. He gave them a penny. The fellows who had started earlier in the day naturally thought that they were in for a big payday. How disappointed they were when they also received a penny. They grumbled about how unfair it was for those who had started late to be paid as much as they who had worked through the heat of the day. The farmer replied that he had paid them as they had agreed and that it was his right to pay others as he saw fit. He then questioned why they were resentful of his goodness towards others. Was it because they had an evil heart? Jesus concluded the story with a warning once again that the first shall last and the last shall be first. Conclusion and Application: Jesus said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first, several times in the gospels (Matthew 19:30' 20:16; Mark 9:35,10:31; Luke 13:30). Looks like He must have meant it, Eh? How often have we seen those who have been laboring in the kingdom for a long time become jealous and suspicious of others who are just beginning? How often do we see some who feel that they have seniority rights on the kingdom of God? Too often, I’m afraid. Until the time of our Lord’s ascension, Peter and the others still had an earthly view of the kingdom. This all changed at the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. Their perspective changed. They realized that God’s kingdom was more than they had ever imagined . It encompassed the whole world for ages to come. They willingly gave their lives to preach the gospel throughout the word. No amount of suffering or difficulty in living for the Lord can begin to be compared to that which Jesus suffered when He laid down His life for us. Throughout the church age, many have labored to preach the gospel in difficult and dangerous circumstances. Many have had all of their possessions confiscated and have suffered physical torture and death. We could say that they have truly labored in the heat of the day. Others of us have had it pretty cushy. We wear nice clothes and drive to air conditioned churches where we hear a gospel of entitlement to the riches of this world. The biggest suffering some of us have had is for somebody to call us a “born againer” or God forbid a “holy roller.” That really shakes us. There is really no comparison between those who have suffered so greatly for the gospel and most of us. In spite of this, God has promised us a reward if we hold out to the end. It doesn’t seem fair, does it? In About-Him
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Mama and papa Chicken took their brood of little chicks for a Sunday drive. The little
chicks grew restless and began to act up.
In frustration, papa chicken turned around and said, "If you kids don't quiet down, we are going to stop at KFC. -- Thanks to my old friend Lee Wilcox Somebody Has Said
"I fail or succeed in my stewardship of life in proportion to how convinced I am that
life belongs to God." - Pearl Bartel
Keep Looking Up! Don and Marie Spooner About Him! Ministries Your thoughts and Inquiries Contact@about-him.com Subscribe to this devotional? Subscribe@about-him.com
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