The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 20:15,
"Are you envious because I am generous?"
Jesus told a parable of a vineyard owner and his workers. In the parable the owner hired workers throughout the day and paid them all the same wage at the end of the day. Those who were hired first were resentful because those hired at the end of the day received the same pay. The above comment was the owner's response.
Jesus taught this to illustrate that all who embrace him in faith will inherit eternal life with all of the wonderful inheritance that will be ours, even if they do so at the very end of their life. They will receive not some kind of "reduced" inheritance, but all the fullness that anyone else who might have embraced him very early in life will receive.
It is never too late to embrace the Lord in our lives. Of course, putting it off has great peril attached to it as none of us knows the moment when we will die. How about a fatal traffic accident the next time you get in the car? No one knows.
I believe I have heard, maybe if so faintly, just a tad-bit of resentment toward an occasion of someone living a life exploiting the pleasures of sin, and then at the last, coming to the Lord for salvation. You may have heard something expressed as well. I think we might sense it when someone is quick to point out the special "crowns" and rewards some individuals may receive because of their service to the Lord in this life. Not that those should not be pursued and celebrated, but when spoken to clarify that the elder convert has missed something, we might be missing the point of Jesus' parable here.
I can't help but think even the slightest resentment expressed potentially betrays a slight bit of envy toward one who indulged the short term pleasures this life has to offer. Might they be feeling they have missed out on the pleasures of sin??
I do think that most of us do not even think along these lines though. Most everyone I know rejoice and celebrate with the angels when anyone, regardless of age or lifestyle, embraces the Lord in faith.
"Are you envious because I am generous?"
Jesus told a parable of a vineyard owner and his workers. In the parable the owner hired workers throughout the day and paid them all the same wage at the end of the day. Those who were hired first were resentful because those hired at the end of the day received the same pay. The above comment was the owner's response.
Jesus taught this to illustrate that all who embrace him in faith will inherit eternal life with all of the wonderful inheritance that will be ours, even if they do so at the very end of their life. They will receive not some kind of "reduced" inheritance, but all the fullness that anyone else who might have embraced him very early in life will receive.
It is never too late to embrace the Lord in our lives. Of course, putting it off has great peril attached to it as none of us knows the moment when we will die. How about a fatal traffic accident the next time you get in the car? No one knows.
I believe I have heard, maybe if so faintly, just a tad-bit of resentment toward an occasion of someone living a life exploiting the pleasures of sin, and then at the last, coming to the Lord for salvation. You may have heard something expressed as well. I think we might sense it when someone is quick to point out the special "crowns" and rewards some individuals may receive because of their service to the Lord in this life. Not that those should not be pursued and celebrated, but when spoken to clarify that the elder convert has missed something, we might be missing the point of Jesus' parable here.
I can't help but think even the slightest resentment expressed potentially betrays a slight bit of envy toward one who indulged the short term pleasures this life has to offer. Might they be feeling they have missed out on the pleasures of sin??
I do think that most of us do not even think along these lines though. Most everyone I know rejoice and celebrate with the angels when anyone, regardless of age or lifestyle, embraces the Lord in faith.
Just musing here...
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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