It's not fair, is it?

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. " - Matthew 20:1


There are still people in this world making a living performing day labor like the men in this story that Jesus tells his disciples, and just like back then, they were considered poor people. Having worked under salary for so long, it's hard for me to imagine standing on the corner and hoping someone will come by with work, but even some of the best paid salary employees in Corporate America throw out the same complaints as these field workers.

In this story, the ones who are hired to work early in the morning and the ones who are hired towards the end of the day are all paid the same amount; one denarius. Doesn't seem fair does it? It's much like the guy who is the first one into the office, works through lunch, and the last one out the door at 8pm, missing dinner with his spouse and family. He likely makes the same salary as the guy who is fifteen minutes late, takes a 2 hour lunch, and then leave 30 minutes before five so he can pick his son up from school.

This prideful anger can be found anywhere, can't it? When you get right down to it, it's the urge to cry out, "That's not fair!". Maybe you've heard this argument at a birthday party where one kid got a bigger piece of cake than another child. Perhaps you heard something similar when one grad student got a better score on their Comps than another because the questions seemed more difficult. Perhaps if you were chosen for layoff over newer, less experienced, and higher paid employees you would feel the overwhelming urge to scream it from the parking lot.

I'm not going to tell you what your mother would; "Who said life ways always fair?". I'm going to tell you what Jesus said.  In the story, the man explained to the workers:

"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

Jesus points out "That's not fair!" is an expression of envy, a sin. Not only that, he starts this story by saying the kingdom of heaven is like this vineyard, where the last will be first and the first will be last. It's a place where the man who only works one hour is made equal to the man who worked the entire day. This is a good thing, isn't it?

Lets say you die tonight and go to heaven. You're standing before the throne of God, and there isn't this rule of equality that God has graciously put before us. Imagine if he held you to the same standards you hold your friends, family, and coworkers to. Remember, in an eternal heaven, you're competing with the entire span of human history. You would be sized up against King David, Elijah, Mother Theresa, and Billy Graham, just to name a few, not counting any of the pastors that helped spread the church, the missionaries martyred in the name of Christ, the children who praise God around the world while they're starving to death.

What exactly do we do each day that will earn the noble title from our Father  in Heaven of his "Good and faithful servant"?

The good news is that God has already worked that out for you by sending his only son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for your sins, failures, and short comings. The good news is that even if today is the first day you start to contribute, if this very moment is the moment where you give your life to Christ unabashedly and completely, you're held equal to all of them.

Being saved is not about the "good works" you do or how many you complete. It's about the reason you want to do good works to begin with and who gets credit for them.

The prayer for today:

Lord Jesus,

We praise You. We love You, Jesus, and we humbly worship You now, asking Your forgiveness for our short comings. When we get scared, or hurt, or angry, we harbor a darkness inside of us that can grow and consume us physically and mentally. Please enter my heart and cleanse me of the prideful sins that confuse me into thinking I deserve any of the gifts you have given me. I ask that you help me to be a beacon that radiates Your glory, a voice that shares Your words and a servant that carries out Your will. Father, let my actions bring your glory because they are of Your doing in me, and You deserve all the glory.

Amen.

In the beginning...

I think every discussion about Christ begins with an explanation of who you are, how you came to the Lord, and where you are at in your walk with Christ. My name is Bryan Hesters. I am a 31 year old father in Austin, TX. I have been married to my college sweetheart, Valerie, for 8 years. Felicity, my daughter, turned 5 years old last week.

I came to the Lord when I was very young, 11 years old to be exact, at a Salvation Army youth camp. I had read the bible cover to cover for the first time by the age of 13, but I was not walking with the Lord. I labored under the delusion that private acts of worship were enough to atone for consistent and blatant disregard for God's intention in my self centered, pleasure driven life. This lead me to a very dark place which I did not emerge from until I met my wife to be in 1999.

Shortly after graduating from college, the Lord put a real calling into my life to rejoin the church family. I started by volunteering at the local Salvation Army in Denton, TX where I was responsible for organizing the Sunday Worship music, playing guitar, and singing in Sunday service. My wife, a music teacher, soon began playing piano in our little group, but after Felicity was born, we moved to a more local church that had a childcare program to ensure the entire family was being fed by His word.

My walk with Christ has continued to become deeper and deeper over the years. I pray frequently, multiple times per day. I read the bible daily and journal my thoughts during private bible study, and most recently I have begun to experience the hardships that are required to bring us closer to God by testing our faith. I am currently unemployed, having left a very lucrative career with a Fortune 100 company amidst an nationwide economic turmoil that has placed incredible difficulties before anyone seeking employment today.

I began attending "job clubs", which are weekly meetings of job seekers who attempt to partner together to keep up spirits, build social networks, and share job leads in an effort to help penetrate the glass walls of technology and policy that most companies put up to automate the hiring process. I've met well trained, experienced, and college educated men and women ranging from their mid 30-s to their early 60-s who have been desperately seeking gainful employment for over a year to no avail. This opened my eyes to a darker side of my local community, a situation that my safe suburban lifestyle and church had shielded me from. As I began to look around, I saw several other truths that I had been missing, which left me questioning the true commitment I had in my journey with Christ.

This collection of writing had three purposes:

1. To share the gospel of Jesus Christ and the "Good News" that he instructed us to pass on to all nations and people in hopes of bringing encouragement and hope to those who need it.
   
2. To point out opportunities to help those in your own community and act as God's hands and voice by sharing with you needs and opportunities to serve in His name that you might not be aware of.
   
3. To make a personal commitment to remember these trials, the people in similar circumstances, and the call to serve and help those in need once I have found employment.
   

Thank you for reading. It is nice to meet you, and I would love to learn more about you should you care to share it.



Prayer for The Day:

Lord,

Thank you. Thank you for my family and the love we share. Thank you for the joy that continues to radiate around us. Help each one of us to see the beauty you've placed in our lives.
We are a broken people, Father, only made whole by your Son's atoning sacrifice. Help the negativity, the pain, the trouble and fear which fills each day pass by us, and let your perfect peace and love fill us with hope and optimism. In You, all things are possible. In You, who created the universe, who filled the sea and air with all manner of creature, we can find the true purpose for our lives. Forgive us of our doubts, of our weakness, and fill us anew with your Holy Spirit that we might mirror your glory for all to see.

In the precious name of Jesus Christ we ask this of you and give You praise and thanks.

Amen.