Happy Wednesday! Praise God, because in spite of everything we went through or are going through, we are still here. As long as we still have air in our lungs and a heart that is beating, we have an opportunity to live out our God ordained purpose here on earth. Let us choose to seek God’s plan for our lives. Let us choose to trust Him with our today and tomorrow. Join me as we begin Matthew chapter 20. The first few verses cover the parable of the workers. The wages they would be paid has significance. Enjoy today’s devotion and your weekend.

Bible Verse – Matthew 20:1-8 NLT
““For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’”

Reflection
In this parable we read that “the kingdom of heaven is like this landowner”, the landowner went out to hire workers and agreed to pay them for the day. While the day moved on, the land owner went and brought more workers and offered them the same thing, it didn’t matter the time of day they began, the offer was still the same (it wasn’t based on an hourly rate).

While we will continue this parable tomorrow, what I want you to understand today is that the landowner is like Jesus. Jesus went out to the towns, the synagogues and villages giving everyone an opportunity to follow Him. Today, Jesus is alive and He is still calling us to follow him and serve the kingdom of God. It doesn’t matter when you accepted Christ, whether it was 20 years ago or this morning, the kingdom of God and all that is promised is still available to you today. Don’t miss the opportunity to repent, accept Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior and follow Him. The reward is greater than you will ever know – it’s not based on the hours you been a Christian (follower of Christ).

Things to ponder:

• Lord, how can I serve you?

• Lord, how can I live my life to be a vessel to be used by you?

• Lord, whatever is broken, lacking or binding me from serving You – heal it, add to it or release it, so that I can follow you with my whole heart.

Prayer
Father God, thank you for your forgiveness and mercy. Thank you for being an example of a servant of God to us. Thank you for making provisions for us to be accepted into the kingdom of God. Thank you for coming for us, seeking us out and for sending others to minister to us on our journey with you. Lord, you are so faithful to us that even when we stand around doing nothing to advance the kingdom, you come and whisper to our hearts and say, I can use you. Lord, as you speak to us and call us to our purpose, Lord help us to listen and obey. Lord, help us to seek you and understand what it is that you are calling us to do. Lord, open our eyes to see what you desire for us to see. Open our ears to hear clearly your instructions for our lives. Lord, we desire to serve and follow you. Lord, again thank you for coming for us. We certainly don’t deserve anything from you, but yet you offer a treasure in heaven. Lord, where we struggle with bitterness, remove that root. Lord, where we are suffering from grief comfort us. Lord, where we hurt from our past or current situation, heal us. Where we need to remove people and influences from our lives so that we can focus on our walk with You and our God ordained purpose – release them. Lord, when our own internal chaos clashes with your desire for us, calm the storms that rage within us and direct our path and thoughts back to you. Keep us focused. Lord, may our journey here on earth be pleasing to you.  Continue to change us, Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

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