An hour's work for a full day's pay...is it fair?

I guess to say it's been awhile since last I wrote would be an understatement!

Things are going well.  We are still in the stage of raising the last bit of our support needed to be full time in Germany.  We have been over there numerous times and feel it is time for the long term to start.  I explained it to a friend the other day like this: We have all the building supplies ready to build a "house" now we just need to be there to do the work.  You can't start building and keep leaving the supplies and half a house out to the elements.  Once you start building it's vital to continue till the house is build!  We have been blessed to complete many short term goals and excited for the "supplies" we have ready for the long term goals. 

Please...if you've ever thought about giving to the ministry of reaching souls for Christ in Germany NOW is the time to give!!!  We need about $2000.00 more a month for the German government to be "ok" with us staying there long term.  We would love to have the money raised by March.  This is the deadline to get the boys into a good school there.  Head to our website imglobalnet.com and read more about 'why Germany' and 'about us'.  Then please pray and hit the donation button to see ways you can help!  We can't wait to be there full time.  Everyday we are here in the States wears on us...our hearts cry out to be doing the work we know God has called us to do in Germany.  Please help us!

As I have thought about writing a blog for the last few weeks I always think about writing of what God has been showing me.  It's been quite a while since my last blog so there are many things He has showed me.  I'll write about one of those things below.

Parable of the Vineyard Workers (Matthew 20:1-16)

IF ever there is an illustration that is hard to swallow it’s this one;

A landowner went into town early in the morning and hired a bunch of workers to work all day in his vineyard.

They agreed to the wage of a full day's work.

He went out again at 9:00 am, again at noon and at 3:00 to hire more workers.  At 5:00 pm he was back in town and found a few more workers that had not been hired by anyone for the day.

He told them to go ahead and work his vineyard till the end of the work day.

When time came to pay everyone he started with the ones just hired at 5:00.  He gave them a FULL day’s pay for an hour of work.  The ones hired first, who had worked the full day, saw this and probably whispered among themselves “wow, if he paid them a full day’s pay for an hour of work can you imagine what he is going to pay us?  I bet we will get double or even triple that amount.”

Their turn in line came and when they held out their hands the boss placed the same amount he had given to all the other workers.

“What how can this be?? Have we not worked all day out in the hot sun for you?  You gave the ones that worked in the cool of the evening the same amount as you are now paying us.  This is NOT FAIR!  We expected more for the amount of work we did.”

“But wait” the owner says “did you not agree to a set amount when you came here to work for me?  Why would I give you more?  Anyways it’s my money and I can do with it as I wish.  I wish to be kind!”

So many things are found here:

1)  What proof that it’s not about works that gets you a reward.  It’s not how hard you work that will get you into the kingdom.  It is only because of the shed blood of Christ and his kindness towards us.

2)  It's NEVER to late to start working for God!!  It's never to late to fulfill the call of God on your life!  I think this should excite many people!  Yes, ok, so you came to God late in life...he doesn't hold that against you!  You'll receive the same pay those that have worked in ministry their entire lives will receive.  Take heart!  Our God is KIND!!!

3)  Things are not always fair in the ministry world!!  People sometimes struggle their whole ministry life and to others it looks like it’s amounted to ‘nothing’.  Others are handed a golden ministry and seemingly did very little to obtain it.  Some seem at the right place at the right time.  The workers that started at 5 and only had to work an hour for a full days pay...WHAT??

But I can imagine how excited those workers were.  They had just about given up all hope of getting hired for the day. “No one hired us” they told the vineyard boss. They would have the dreaded job of returning home to their families and having to explain why they have no food for the table again that night.  When they did get hired I bet what went through their heads was “an hour’s pay is better then nothing.”  What a huge surprise and blessing it must have been to them to have received a full days wage for an hour's worth of work.

The harder I work for God does not equal more pay, more blessings, more favor.  That is such a human concept.

God already loves me and wants to bless me with all He has.  I don’t have to work for it.  I’ll get the same amount NO matter what.  When I feel others have been “blessed” more then me I can read in the Parable of the Vineyard workers that we all receive the same amount!! That we are rewarded out of the kindness of God's heart. 

Does this mean I just sit in my house with my head in the clouds waiting for the sweet by and by...NO ALL the workers still had to work their amount of time for the Vineyard Boss .  It just shows that as long as I am doing the will of God for MY life that is what pleases him.  It's a shame that we are so quick to judge in the church world.  We look at everyone else's ministry and either give our nod of approval or shake our heads, tight upper lip, wondering what is going on.  YES, we are to judge the FRUIT of one's ministry but let's be careful that that is all we are judging!

"Friend, I haven't been unfair! I wanted to pay these last workers the same as you. Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?" Matt 20:13-15