OCTOBER 18, 2012
What
Has God Done For Me Lately?
Read: Matthew 20:1-16
Is it not lawful for
me to do what I wish with my own things? —Matthew 20:15
I
met a man who was absolutely convinced that God couldn’t forgive
him for the
things he’d done. An older man took him under his wing,
and a year later, I was
delighted that the younger man had not only
accepted Jesus as his Savior but
was also consuming scripture
ravenously. Three years later, though, when I
talked with him, I noticed
that his enthusiasm had been replaced by grumbling:
“I just don’t
understand how God can let evil people prosper while so many of
His
children (including himself, he might have added) are
struggling to make
ends meet.” The grumbling ate at the joy of his faith.
Like
so many of us, he had forgotten how much he had needed Christ’s
grace. The
gratitude he had felt when he first received the Lord was now
lost. This
reminds us of the vineyard workers in Jesus’ parable
(Matt. 20:1-16). Their
focus shifted to what was happening to and for
other people (vv.10-12).
While
God owes us nothing, He freely gives us the salvation He promises
when we
accept Christ. He then adds to His generosity by sending His
Spirit to help us
in this life as we prepare for the joy of eternity with Him.
The seeming
unfairness of life demands that we keep our eyes on Him
and His Word—not on
others.
Lord, I admit that my focus at times gets drawn
to others and what they have. Forgive me and
help me to stop grumbling. You are good to me
and provide what I need. Thank You. Amen.
All you need to know to be content is this: God is good.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
