260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 20 - Matthew 20: Parable, Pain, Position

GUILTY!
Yep - raise your hand with me if you can relate to how the workers who were hired first felt!~ If my parents had done this on our farm with me and my brothers & sister, there would have been mutiny! Yet this story wreaks of the generosity, grace and equality of God’s love! I believe it’s an Allegory – a story with two meanings. The Vineyard is the Kingdom of God, the Landowner is God the Father, the Foreman is Jesus, the laborers are believers, the denarius is eternal life, the workday represents a lifetime of service to God and evening represents eternity. And all of this teaches us so much about salvation. First, GOD initiates it and accomplishes it. It was He who went looking for workers and He asked them. Second, God sets the terms of how someone is saved (by grace thru faith). He set the price. Third, God continually is calling people to Him, even up to the final hour! Fourth, everyone has to choose to accept this offer, the workers gladly did! Fifth, God gives what He promises and more! ALL received the same, the last workers more than they deserved! Finally, workers were rewarded for their FAITHFULNESS with what was given them, NOT on how much was given them! Wow this is good stuff!
In verses 17-19 Jesus, for the third time, predicts His death and the sufferings He would go through. By now the disciples had to be getting weary of this report from Jesus.
The next story cracks me up. It’s just like a mom - trying to look after her boys! “Hey Jesus, can you do me a favor? My boys are pretty sharp, can they be head honchos with you for eternity?!~! They’d be great help!” She wanted them to have “position” and Jesus makes it very clear that greatness is not ruling over others but serving them! And oh, by the way James, you’ll be the first one killed for me! Ha – be careful what you (or your mommy) ask for!
The chapter wraps up with another healing by Jesus. Two blind men are crying out to Jesus for mercy. He asks them what they want, “we want our sight” they reply. Jesus gives it to them and they follow Him.
SO WHAT?!
*Has God’s generosity to others ever seemed “unfair” to you? How do you respond when God blesses others? Periodically in college my roommates would come in from the mailbox (yes, an actual place with actual letters) excited about a check for $500 they just got, while I would stir my 10 for $1 ramen, thinking where’s mine? Ad YET, very often I was the one running in from the mailbox! After attending 4 years at a private Christian college (which I had saved no money up for) I came away with only a $4000 loan – God totally paid the rest! God is certainly not fair. But He IS more than fair! He’s just, He’s merciful, He’s gracious, He’s loving and He is Jehovah Jira, our provider. Never forget it!
*How are you and I being faithful with what God has given us? Talents? Spiritual gifts? Money? Resources? The key is not how much of what God has given us but it is how faithful we are in using those things for HIM! So, are you?
*Finally, always remember that God loves it when we come to Him, helpless and crying out for mercy! I don’t know what you’re going through today, but God would love to have you cry out to Him. He is the best listener and best helper we could ever have!