The vineyard owner said, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong…. I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.”   Matthew 20: 13-14

My neighbor found the parable of the laborers in the vineyard confusing because it pictures God as unfair, and that cannot be true. I reminded her that the story is a parable, not to be read literally. Besides, the parable does not depict the landowner, who represents God, acting unfairly. The landowner’s unconventional fairness teaches us how God treats us. Grace does not fit our usual ideas of justice.  God’s divine economy surprises and challenges us. We seek to thrive economically through competition and merit. Generally, we speak of fair wages and assume a person should receive only what he or she earns. In our human economy, grace appears impractical, odd. Yet the parable teaches that God chooses to give us more than we deserve — for that is God’s nature.  This idea challenges us as much as it did those who first heard Jesus speak it. We are challenged to appreciate the unconditional nature of God’s kindness to everyone and to cooperate in the divine economy of giving more good than people deserve. We do this by approaching our relationships with the grace given through Christ. We who follow him have been entrusted with sharing God’s overflowing generosity, lavishing kindness on everyone. 

Dear God, help us to be gracious in difficult situations. Let us show your lavish grace in all we do. Amen.

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1)

What do you think God’s love is? Do you envision a permissive love that allows you to do whatever you want? That doesn’t describe the love of God. You see, God loves you enough to put restrictions in your life. He loves you enough to say, “Do this. It will help you. And don’t do this. It’s bad for you.”

Suppose a child asks his mother, “Mommy, can I play in the street?” Of course she would say, “No, you may not. I love you and don’t want you to be in a place where you would be endangered. One day, you will realize that I did this not from a lack of love, but because I do love you.”

It’s the same with us. When God says no to us, it’s not because He doesn’t love us. It’s just the opposite.

In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam, “‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17). So the devil tempted Eve: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). Essentially he was saying, “If God really loved you, then He would let you do whatever you want.” The truth was that because God loved Adam and Eve, He didn’t want them to fall into sin. Yet they disobeyed God and that’s exactly what happened.

Those limits that you find in the pages of the Bible are there for your own good. God has put a fence around you, so to speak. But it’s not to keep you confined—it’s to keep you safe from the many dangers in this world—and in the invisible spiritual world that surrounds us.

After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. (John 13:5)

Before the Passover meal, Jesus took off His outer robe. He got down on His hands and knees, picked up the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet.  As Jesus made His way around the room, Peter was watching. Always one to speak his mind, he blurted out, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” (John 13:6). It’s almost as though he didn’t want to humble himself in this way. Perhaps he saw that it had symbolic meaning and, in spite of the fact that he had already bathed, the implication was that he was dirty again.  There are people like that today who say, “I haven’t sinned. I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m a good person. I don’t need God’s forgiveness.” But everybody needs it.  Jesus told Peter, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean…” (verse 10). In other words, once you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you don’t need to be saved again and again.   You don’t have to shower over and over. Once you have received Christ into your life and have asked Him to forgive you, then you are forgiven. Christ has already come into your heart…but you do need regular cleansing.

I know that my sin is forgiven; I know my final destination is heaven, but on a daily basis I do need to say, “Lord, forgive me.” Jesus taught us that we should regularly pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). So it’s a good thing to say, “Lord, cleanse me. Forgive me.” Because we need constant cleansing.

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives… Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.  1 Peter 3:1, 7 

Authority takes place within the home. Peter tells us that wives should submit to their husbands. But wait. Isn’t that old-fashioned and sexist? Surely, that doesn’t apply today. Does it? After all, women are just as capable as men.  As we look at the Bible we can see that men and women are equal in the sight of God. However, Peter explains that each has a different role within the marriage. We can see this in many earthly relationships and we also see it in God Himself.  God is three persons with one essence—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We call this the Trinity. Each of the members of the Trinity has a different role, yet they are all God and perfect love exists between them. The Son and the Holy Spirit submit to the authority of the Father.  This is a wonderful illustration of marriage. By recognizing their roles and serving each other, the Trinity is complete. Submission to authority is not weakness. Rather, it is love. And by fulfilling our role we are showing Christ’s love.

Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.   Colossians 3:11

I have a friend who is of a different denomination than mine. Because of this difference, she questions my faith, even my salvation. Despite my efforts, she refuses to accept the validity of my Christian faith.  On the Day of Pentecost, those who had gathered were from many countries and spoke different languages. But the Holy Spirit touched them all. They all received the Spirit’s blessing, and they all praised God in their own languages.  Why do Christians sometimes have such difficulty accepting another person’s faith? Each of us is born with our own unique ways of feeling and understanding. These differences don’t make us wrong; they simply indicate we are using our God-given gifts to think and reason for ourselves.  God wants us to love each other despite our differences. If we love God honestly, our Christian love can embrace everyone and help us accept that those whose worship practices or theological perspectives differ from ours are still capable of loving God. 

O God, you didn’t create us all the same. Help us to see and appreciate the beauty in the ways we are different yet still your children. Amen.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. Ecclesiastes 12:13

If you are seeking fulfillment, purpose, or meaning from this world and from human accomplishments, I have some bad news: you will never find it. There is nothing in the world that will fill the deepest void in your life—not the ultimate car, not the greatest job, not the most beautiful girl or the most handsome guy, not the greatest education. There is nothing that can even come close.  King Solomon, one of the wealthiest men who ever lived, had everything he wanted. Yet he went on a binge, trying to satisfy his appetites with the wrong things. He went after passion. He went after possessions. He went after things of beauty and buildings and land. He drank and he partied. After all of that, here was his conclusion: “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).  Have you ever been ravenously hungry and tried to satisfy your appetite with snacking? It just doesn’t work. You want a real meal. In the same way, we were created with a God-shaped hole in our lives. We have been created to love God, to know God, and to bear fruit. Everything else is secondary.  Think about it: Everything else in life, every other responsibility, no matter how significant, must be ordered behind the central purpose of your existence on Earth: knowing, loving, and serving your Creator. Yes, God cares about your career, your marriage, your family, and your ministry. But knowing Him, prioritizing Him, is number one. And when you do, the Bible says you will never be a loser for it!

“Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” Matthew 6:32-33

We are what [God] has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works.   Ephesians 2:10

Like other rabbis of his era, the aposile Paul was expected to support himself independent of his teaching in local synagogues. Paul’s profession was tent making, and through that work he came to know people such as Aquila and Priscilla, who would become leaders in the early church.  Today we think of Paul as an extraordinary person — not because of his tent making but because of how he called people to follow Christ. Certainly there must have been days for Paul when making tents came first. I think of this sometimes when my everyday duties become priorities that seem distant from my focus on faith.

Paul’s experience reminds me that in any good work I can find Christ and others who can be a part of my Christian experience. God can be glorified in how I handle the simplest chores and the most troublesome tasks. All of us can be faithful in the work of helping others know, love and serve Christ. 

Dear Lord, may we glorify your name in all that we undertake each day. Amen.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

We are taught from childhood to say thank you when we are given something or helped in some way. Yet having thanked someone once for a kindness shown us does not release us from responsibility to express our gratitude again for future kind acts. Even so, we often forget to thank family and friends for their help, concern, affection, and attention, or for a tasty meal and a tender embrace.  We sometimes behave in a similar way toward God. In the Bible story. about the ten lepers healed by Jesus, only one thanks his Healer. The other nine healings go unacknowledged. Perhaps that percentage applies to us. Maybe we forget nine times out of ten to notice and give thanks for the gifts of love in our lives. I can imagine Jesus standing before me, saying, “You have thanked me for one miracle, for one answer to your prayers. But what about the other times?” 

I don’t want to take my blessings for granted. I want to have a sensitive and grateful heart; I want the people around me to know and hear that I value their part in my life, each small kindness that they show me. And I want to remember to thank God, too, for each good gift in my life. Each day we can pray to live with gratitude. 

Lord Jesus, forgive us when we do not thank you for answering our prayers. Open our eyes to see your gifts when they come to us. Amen.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Hopefully very few of us reading this text have had to deal with life and death decisions. We all face tough times in our lives and have probably had times where a decision we made altered life as we knew it. However, very rare is the occasion where we or someone we know is going to live or die based on our choice.  If someone set up a booth on a street corner and asked people to choose life or death, good or evil, the majority would state, of course, that they choose goodness and life. However, their actions may show otherwise.  This is not a hard concept to test. Just take a look around this world. Examine those in your life who are living without God. Most of them put up a great façade that all is well. But if you truly examine what is going on, you will typically find hidden destruction, emptiness and an overwhelming lack of fulfillment or purpose. They have chosen death and an eternity away from God.  Which path have you chosen? In today’s Scripture, God is calling you to action. Submit to His obedience and the results are phenomenal. Turn from His authority, and the consequences could be dire.

Dear God, It’s so easy for me to glaze over my actions and minimize the consequences of the decisions that I make. Help me to live so that my actions match my faith and belief in You. Thank You for protecting us with Your authority, and for giving us the freedom of choice. I choose life and an eternity with You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

[Jesus] said to [his disciples], “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”   Mark 6:31

A friend listened patiently as I rattled on about my busy day and my never-ending list of things to do. I felt I had used my time wisely, but her response surprised me.  “Where did God fit in?” she asked. Embarrassed, I realized I had expected to be praised for all my accomplishments. Her question made me re-evaluate my busy schedule.  Most of us want others to see us as industrious. Do we dare admit that we spend time praying or reading the Bible or that we simply sit and ponder God’s blessings in our life?  Jesus wanted his disciples to serve; but more than that, he wanted relationships with them. In addition, Jesus invited them into times of rest to renew their minds and bodies for the work they were called to do.  We can easily fall into the trap of trying to impress others with our doing and overlook the importance of “resting” time with God. With God on our daily calendar, we will find renewed energy to accomplish all that lies before us each day. 

Father, forgive us for trying to earn your approval with our achievements. Draw us aside that we may be renewed by spending time in your presence. In the name of Jesus. Amen.