God's Love Isn't Fair | Matthew 20 & 1 Kings 21 | Crossroads Daily

Hey, I'm Chuck. I'm Janie. I'm Chris. I'm Mish. Man, two very unique stories today. Well, lots of stories, but two for sure, like the vineyard story. So on the one hand, Jesus tells the story of a very generous landowner who decides to give money to all these workers, but because he doesn't give the same amount based on the length of time they work, all the other workers sound like my kids. That's not fair. That's not fair. So I just keep hearing my kids. But then on the other hand, we have Ahab and Jezebel, really two of the most evil rulers ever in Israel. And because he's not given a vineyard that he wants, he takes it by greed and violence. So two very different stories. One is about receiving with gratitude. The other is about grasping for control. And Jesus is clearly saying the better way is both to be one in authority who gives generously and also to receive with gratitude. So let's talk about gratitude. Let's talk about that. So what are some ways that you practice gratitude in your life right now? And what are some things maybe you're grateful for in real time? There's lots I can answer there, but I will start by saying I really wrestle, I struggle hearing that story of the generous landowner who gives the denarius. Because I'm like, in my mind, I go to, if I was working from 9 a.m. and someone came at 5 p.m. and done the same thing, we're about to throw hands. Are you kidding me? And so I really struggle with that story. And I know that generosity is a key aspect of what Jesus is trying to, sorry, gratitude is a key aspect of what Jesus is trying to teach. And one of the things I am really grateful for that Jesus has continued to teach me and continues to pry my heart closer to him towards is, as I'm working, my inclination is to look to the next thing, to move on from what is in front of me, what responsibilities have been given to me, either from my direct superior or just tasks that are in hand and look beyond that and go to the next thing. Jesus is continuing to teach me not only to look at that, but also just be grateful for it, truly be grateful for the work that is in place in front of me right then. There's someone who we all know, a guy named Scott, who I remember taught on this once, where he felt like God taught him, spoke to him one day and just said, keep pushing that broom, keep pushing that broom. He was working at Facilities Roll at the time, and he felt like God was saying, just keep pushing that broom. I think about that a lot, of like, the thing in front of you, God has called you to it, God has vocationally called you

to it for a reason. And it might not be big, luxurious, glamorous or whatever, but it is prying your heart towards something. So again, where those two, that wrestle and what Jesus is teaching me right there, connect, there's a connection point, I'm not 100% sure what it is, but I'm continuing to wrestle with it. I love your honesty, too. To read that story, it's like, that's not fair, that doesn't sound fair. I'll say one thing that I'm very thankful for right now is my little sister, Danielle. And I think the macro thing of that is, I feel- How old is Danielle? Danielle, I call her my little sister. Yeah, that's what I was getting at. That's what I was getting at. Whole grown adult. That's what I was getting at, is like, how old is your little sister? Turning 34, so shout out. No, but just like on the macro of like, I have really good relationships, like people who love me, who know me, people who forgive me when I do very unkind things. And even when I don't feel like I have the capacity to forgive them, like there's still grace that's given to me that I'm not extending. And I'm so thankful for that. Like, we talk almost every morning as she's walking and or running to the train, she lives in Chicago. So we're not proximate to each other, but it's still like, one of my closest relationships. And I think we sharpen each other in the fact that we both have faith and we can call things out in each other. And so I think without that, I'm not who I am today, without that relationship. Thanks, little sis. Yeah, shout out. I think something I've learned from a lot of people in my life is being grateful for what seemed like the tiniest things that, it's like, oh, did God even, did God really do that? Or is that just a coincidence? Like I see a good parking spot and it's like, oh, well that's just because someone left that parking spot. And I've just started to be like, no, I'm going to, I'm going to operate as if God likes to give me good gifts as his child. And so I've just started being super thankful for the most random things that could be coincidences, but also it was like, I have a father that loves me. So I'm going to say thank you for that. And I've seen

the results of that, of I've started to just be. I'm much more thankful for even the bigger things in my life and be quick to, something good happens, be like, oh, thank God for that. And not just like, thanks, random set of universal circumstances that led to this, so, yeah. Yeah, I'm a tell on myself when it comes to gratitude because I had this experience just over this past weekend. I have a guilty, that's not a guilty pleasure, it's a pleasure, it's just a pleasure. HGTV has this series of shows, one's called The Mexico Life, one's called The Bahamas Life, one's called Mediterranean Life. And in 20 minutes, you get to watch this family or single person find a home in like this luxurious place in Mexico or this cool place in the Mediterranean, this cool place in the Bahamas. And I love the show because it is so the opposite of our current reality in the world, right? I just love, like, within 20 minutes, the problem is solved and they're on the beach enjoying their new life, so I watch it. That sounds great. But I was watching the series of them this weekend and I realized, oh man, I am jealous. I'm sitting here coveting that this person gets to have this Bahamas house and here I am sitting, I mean, I have a fine house,

but it's not in the Bahamas. And so I just realized how easy it is for me to play the comparison game. Even a show, I can't even watch a show that was a pleasure for me, like I'm watching, it's a pleasure, without coveting. And I think for me, I've learned gratitude is a really powerful antidote to that. So in that moment, I actually turned off the show for a little bit. I was like, I probably watched it too many, but then I just started thinking like, but what am I grateful for? Like, man, here I am sitting in a house and it was warmer that day. I'm like, I got air conditioning and my whole family can live in this house. My kids and my wife feel a sense of home here. And it just was a helpful reminder. So I do think, man, gratitude, I think it's one of the most powerful spiritual disciplines for us as people. I think it's definitely one of the most powerful spiritual disciplines we can practice as Americans, as Westerners, as people who have access through social media and things like Bahamas Life to all these other life that people are living. And so I think there's something powerful for us in gratitude.

I think it really, it does something to our hearts. You know what I feel I fall under the trap of with gratitude is comparison with gratitude, if that makes sense. Like, I'm watching the Bahamas Life and I'm like, I might not have that life, but I do have my kids and I do have this food and I do have, and there's also other people who don't have this stuff. And I actually don't think that's true gratitude. I think that's trying to compare and still set up this hierarchy of events in order to make yourself feel better. I fall under that trap all the time, personally. I feel like that's convicting because there's layers to it of like, yes, I want to be grateful of the fact that I don't really have to worry about where am I getting food. But if I'm making, to your point, like, okay, I may not be able to eat at five-star restaurants every weekend, but you know I have a meal on the table. It's like, okay, but what if that was taken away? Then would I still be grateful? And so it's like, I don't know, it almost feels paradoxical. It's like, I still want to say that I'm grateful for that, but also I should, like, I want to remind myself that the one thing I'm truly grateful is

that God, I'm in relationship with him. And that thing doesn't go away. So it's like, it's just, it's a paradox, kind of weird. Yeah. How do you do both? If I can get all gospel preacher on you for just a minute. I totally relate to, I think Jesus told the story for that reason about like, oh my gosh, it's not fair that a person who worked one hour gets the same reward as a person who worked eight in the hot sun. I think the deeper thing that Jesus wants us to see is who are we in the story? And the truth is we're the one hour worker. That's what grace is. We're the one hour worker. I didn't work, I couldn't have worked to earn the salvation, to earn access into the kingdom of God. So no matter what, I am grateful because I'm the one who worked one hour and still got a denarius. And obviously it wasn't my works that got me, it was faith and grace. But I think that's maybe the greater thing that Jesus wants us to see is like, start from the right perspective, which is, do you realize you've already hit the spiritual lottery? If you have received Jesus, if the Holy Spirit

has caused Jesus to be real to you, you won. The game of life is won. Now, that doesn't mean that it's not without pain and not without difficulty, but I think there's something about that that I have to keep going to so that, not if, but when I lose things. Because I will, I'll get older, I may lose the ability to speak, I may lose the ability to move like I want to, and I've still got more than I deserve. And you probably heard older people say that, hey, how you doing? I'm better than I deserve, right? But there's truth to that. And I think one of my aspirations is to actually be able to say that and believe it. Because I think that is. the heart of gratitude. So, hey, so be thankful today. Whatever that looks like for you to practice gratitude, do that and know that you're the one hour worker. If you're in a relationship with Jesus, you have received salvation by grace alone. Dang. That was good, that was good. That, yeah, needed to hear that.