GOD'S VINEYARD SERIES

For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. [Matthew 20:1-2]


"...householder, which went out..."

A householder!, probably the owner of the house, this house was a very great one because it had a great vineyard that could contain several labourers working on different things simultaneously. This man must be a great man, a very rich man, having workers and very respected, but the Bible says he went out... The rich men of this world don't go out, they just relax and allow their money and servants to go out on their behalf, but Our God is not sleeping in the house, He is busy going out, He is not sending servants to get His work done, He is right at the top of His work, busy labouring to get men into His vineyard. He is not having a good time relaxing on the couch, He is longing to have men, as many as possible to labour in His field.


"...went out..."

There are wolves outside, there is much disrespect and disdain outside, there is insecurity and insubordination outside, there is no regard for your person, status or position outside, yet, The Lord is always outside seeking for men, not minding the ridicule of men or their disdain.


"...to hire..."

What! Hire? Does the One who owns men still hire men for wages? Why should I pay heavily for what is doubtless mine? For what reason and purpose were men made by God initially, was it not for His glory and labours in His field? Must I pay my child (whom I'm not even his creator) for assisting in the farm?, what else would he do if he doesn't work in his father's field? Would a mother pay her daughter for engaging her in daily house chores?, what else is the duty of the girl, if not to take care of the house? The Lord went to HIRE labourers into His vineyard...
I think it should be a shame for any child of God, who is attaching conditions of blessing to every engagement he wants to carry out for The Lord. Must God have to hire me for pay, for blessing, for riches or for answered prayers before I can be all out for Him? Why do so-called Christians get angry at God for not answering certain of their prayers, despite their commitments to Him? Are the blessings we wish to get, a condition for our commitments? Why do we say "O God, but I served You, why did You allow such to happen to me, why didn't You bless me with this and that despite my service?" Am I selling my skills to God for money, for blessings? Were you playing games with God in the first case, was your relationship with God a tit for tat one, or you are wholly given to Him because He owns you? If God chooses not to reward any of your labours for Him, should you be angry and question Him?, is it not my duty to do service to Him because He is my Father, not my employer?, were you not made by Him to glorify His holy Name?, why are you seeking to honour and promote self? Why are people backsliding today, is it not because they think God is too slow for them, too unrewarding, too strict..., and they forget that they were ordinary clay in God's hands. Why must God hire me, before I come into His vineyard?
Since God owns my life, whether He blesses me or not is not a condition for giving myself to Him. I am already His, therefore, I think trading my service for Him is simply robbery.


"And when he had agreed with the labourers..."

Hmmm, what a shame it is, if God has to negotiate with me before I can labour in His field! Which kind of child am I in the home, if my father needs to appease me, bring me back home from outside, cajole me with some messages, promise me heaven and earth before I can agree to do his service, that is an indication already of the kind of child I am, if my service unto The Lord is based largely on conditions I have attached to it, then I'm not a faithful child. If I need to hear several messages, attend several outreaches, crusades, religious meetings, be prayed and fasted for, be persuaded and cajoled upon for several years before I can even manage to think of yielding my life to God, and that with several conditions attached, then, what a shameful child I would be.


"...a penny a day..."

Actually, those who know God know quite clearly that "...He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him...", they know that they will soon reap of their labours for Him if they faint not. They have the conviction that God owes no man, and that those who follow and serve Him will definitely receive a reward both in the life now and hereafter. They know that a day at the field of The Lord will never go without the reward of the penny for that day, BUT, THIS IS NOT THE BASIS FOR SERVICE, that is not the prerequisite for labouring, rather, we serve God because He owns us, we are His, and if you don't serve Him, what/who else will you serve? Our reward, blessings that we ask or demand from Him is not tied to how much services we render, no, it is rather tied to the fact that we are His children. Labourers get wages, but children get all that the father has.


"...agreed with the labourers..."

The Lord is not forceful, He does not coerce, He comes to reason together with man, even though He knows He owns man, yet, He will not push him.
Have you given yourself to the Lord outrightly, or you are still attaching conditions of service to your commitment?