Based on Matthew 20:1-16 (New King James Version)
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’ ‘So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
Life is full of labor. The majority of us began doing some sort of work when we were very small; like crawling; and then walking; and then going to school, doing homework; doing chores around the house, etc. All of these things required a level of effort. And either before or after graduating from school, people get jobs or get into careers. That of course takes some effort as well. Even if you want to take on a hobby, although it may be fun, it still requires work. A relationship requires work. Raising children requires work. Even retirement requires work because you have to plan for it and work towards that stage of life. We are born into a world of work and we will leave this world doing something; anything; but it will require some sort of effort. It never stops. We were ultimately created for work; at least so it seems.
The spiritual walk is not much different. As a matter of fact, the very term “walk” implies action, moving forward. It’s not much of journey if you don’t walk. Herein lays one of the greatest misconceptions of grace. Many theologians and ministers teach that everything is based on grace; that you cannot work for your salvation. That is true, biblically speaking. You can never earn salvation. It can only be achieved through the grace we find in Christ, by converting from all of our sins, and accepting Jesus as the Lord of our lives. However, that doesn’t mean that work should not happen after you surrender your life to Christ. You can’t be saved by works, but your faith in Christ doesn’t mean a thing unless there is a visible product before the eyes of God and men. Praise God the Apostles understood this, or else we would have never heard about Christ. For it is written: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:14, 17. The Lord further elaborated that there has to be a product in a believer’s life; something “must” come out of our life or else we will not be allowed to remain. For it is written: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2.
God created each one of us with a purpose. It is the reason of why each of us exist: we are here to do what we need to do. And not doing it is problem, especially when the Word of God has been shared with us. Jesus explained the following parable: “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.” Luke 8:11-15. So the sower casts the seed with the purpose and goal to receive a product. Otherwise, why cast the seed? I don’t think any of us like to work for nothing, right? For those of us with jobs, we wait for that special day when we are given some form of payment for our labor. That’s how we pay our bills, buy food, etc. We hope for something to result from whatever we do.
So what is the fruit that God anticipates we would have as a result of our salvation? He teaches us this: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23. And this fruit of the spirit yields a visible action, something that both God and man can see tangibly. There has to be a product. We all work. We all do something. The question is: “What is it that we are doing?” Are we working for something meaningful that will transcend this world? For the Bible also teaches us: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21.
The last point is this. Don’t worry about what others are doing or not doing. Just worry about what you are responsible for. When we start looking at what other people are doing, and what other people are getting (no matter what it is), coveting starts taking place. And we were taught this: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:17.
So, the Lord is the Lord, and as such, He does what He wants and He expects something from us. And we don’t have a say in it. Ultimately, He is the Lord. The good news is that He is a Good and Loving Lord, desiring to shed His grace on those that search for Him, and do what He says to do; for our own good, and for the good of others. Is He your Lord? Lord bless! John