“When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.” (Matthew 20:11)
Read Matthew 20:1–16.
Are you good at grumbling? I sure am. I grumble about small things and big things. I, too, listen to people grumbling a fair bit all day long, starting in my own family. I’m sure that never happens in your house, does it?
It’s relatable to read about grumbling in the Bible! The workers in God’s vineyard complain when they realise that the folk who have not been good, faithful Christians for as long as they have will receive the same reward from God! How is that even fair? Someone who has been a committed churchgoer their whole life should be rewarded more! Someone who has tithed and even given money to other charities should receive acknowledgement! Someone who has labored for the Lord by serving in Sunday school, as an usher, pastor, camp ministry coordinator, Bible reader, in women’s fellowship, in their men’s group or a youth group should get a more celebratory place in heaven. Someone who literally gets converted and baptized on their deathbed can’t have the same place in heaven prepared for them, can they?!
Self exaltation, self focus, self aggrandizing, doesn’t regard the giver and gracer of the work of discipleship, does it?
God gives all gifts to serve Him according to our capabilities. It all starts by looking to Him in prayer each day and asking “where can you use me?”
The same struggle happened for the prodigal son’s older brother in Luke 15:11–32. When he came home from the fields after another day of hard work for his father and realised that the fattened calf had been slaughtered to celebrate his ridiculous wayward brother’s return, he was furious! The father’s loving response to him is the same way in which we need to understand the vineyard owner’s generosity toward those who began their labour at the end of the day: “‘My son’, the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:31,32)
Let’s hand our occasional grumbling about our sisters and brothers in Christ over to Jesus and ask Him to replace it with His joy and rejoicing.
Prayer
Father, I thank You for Your gifts to me, especially Your gift of salvation through Your Son. My only question should be “How do You want me to serve You?” I give thanks to my brothers and sisters in Christ and pray that they ask the same question.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
