Devotion:
For an audio version of this devotion, click here.
Read Matthew 20:1-16.
I can remember thinking that my brother got a bigger cookie with more chocolate chips in it than I did. I would yell out “that isn’t fair!” Well, the scripture today is a parable (a story that Jesus told using familiar things) telling about an unfair wage in the fields. Why on earth would he give workers the same wage when some worked hard all day and some worked only an hour? The laborers who worked all day protested. It surely was not fair, but that is not the point.
The kingdom of God is not fair. Thank goodness it is much more than fair. The kingdom of God is extravagantly generous. Jesus taught of generosity and the Bible gives many examples of promises of grace. We all get more than we deserve. At the end of the day, Jesus says that each one gets treated the same. The lesson we need to learn is the meaning of grace--we all become members of God's family simply by his love and undeserved favor. None of us is more deserving than another. We should try to look at each other as God looks at us.
Personal Worship Option:
Generous God, thank you for who you are and for what you do for us. Help us to be grateful for your generosity to us and help us to show the same generosity to others. We need to see each other as equal recipients of your grace. Help us serve together. Amen.
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