Day 257: Matthew 20; Mark 10:32-52; Luke 18:31-19:27

Matthew 20 begins with another story told by Jesus. It's the story of a landowner who hires some guys to work in his field. He hires some the first thing in the morning at an agreed upon wag. He hires a few others around lunch time and then towards the end of the day hires a few more guys to work only about an hour. At the end of the day he pays them...and they all get paid the exact same amount. The ones who worked only an hour received the same pay as the ones who worked all day long.

The men who were hired in the morning were a little upset. But the thing is, they weren't really cheated. They were paid the pay they were promised. Still they complained...I would have, too! This is the landowner's response to their complaints...

“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” (Matthew 20:13-15)

If there were no other workers the guys who started working early in the morning would have been perfectly content with their pay and even grateful for the chance to work. But because they compared themselves to other workers they were upset.

I think this is a great Thanksgiving day passage. It's true that there are others who have far more than I have...and sometimes, if I'm completely honest, I am envious of them. But the real truth is that God has been overwhelmingly generous to me. I lack nothing. He has given me way more than I could ever deserve.

I need to learn to allow Him to be generous to others as well. If He is, it really doesn't cost me anything.