“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. 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)?
Father and God of infinite grace and mercy, You give lavishly, abundantly. You offer mercy to all who believe (John 3:16).
Your love and generosity are unlike anything we have ever encountered in our human realm, and we struggle so often to grasp Your ways so higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). Thank You for the lessons and parables from our Lord, to help us understand "the kingdom of heaven;" to help us learn kingdom values.
You show us here in this story, Lord, that Your lavish mercy and generosity cover all who come—early or late. You applied these words so conclusively when You offered eternal life to a condemned thief on a cross.
Your parable shows how so often we miss the point. How so often in our human strivings we are consumed with competition, and jealousy, and being "first," and we overlook the wonder of Your grace to us and to others.
Oh God, forgive us for comparing and for vying against the very ones who are sent alongside us. Help us to look through kingdom eyes, and see, not ordinary people, but eternal souls—others' and ours. Give us a heart of generosity towards others, whether they are co-laborers with us in Your vineyard, or souls in the harvest field of the Lord.
Cleanse us from jealousy, envy, selfishness, and a "me-first" mentality. Help us in our relationships with one another, [to] have the same mindset as Christ Jesus who...made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2:5-7). Help us in humility [to] value others above [ourselves], not looking to [our] own interests but...to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4).
Give us the strength and the courage to live out these kingdom values practically in our own surroundings—home, work, learning, spiritual, business, marketplace, social—even though they are so different from the values of the world.
Remind us that we do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give [us] (John 6:27). Remind us that the same God who exalted [the Lord Jesus] to the highest place (Philippians 2:9) has promised that "the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16).
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