Verse: Matthew 20:11-12
11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”
Devotional Thoughts:
“Really? It went to him??” That was my initial reaction when I found out who won the Preaching Award out of my graduating class at seminary. The winner was awarded a prize, and the opportunity to preach at the last chapel service of the semester at Beeson Divinity School.
Now, I’m competitive by nature. Don’t even play me in a board game unless you expect to lose. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been able to cut back on that a little bit, but it’s still tough at times. From Candyland to Risk, I’m in it to win it. So, unsurprisingly, I’d hoped to win the award, and it didn’t sit well with me that this guy had won it over me.
A similar situation is unfolding in Jesus’ parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Some of the workers were complaining, upset that their co-workers, who hadn’t put in the same number of hours, were receiving the same amount of pay. The story is similar because it led the workers to two things – it led them to play the comparison game and it led them to be unhappy about the blessings of others.
Points to Ponder:
So I have two questions to ask you – First, are you discontent with your life because you’re playing the comparison game? We have a tendency to compare everything, but the reality is that as long as we are looking to what others have, we’ll never be satisfied with what we’ve been given.
Second, do you find it difficult to be happy about the accomplishments of others? The workers in the vineyard were unhappy about their boss’ generosity. But why should someone else’s good fortune or success lead to bitterness in me? We have to realize that as long as we are looking to the people around us in comparison, we’ll never be content in life. Discontentment will be the norm. We’ll be bitter towards others. So let’s not look around us in comparison, but rather let’s look up in gratitude.
