What Am I Going to Get Out of It

Please read Matthew 19:27-20:16. President William Mckinley once wrote to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, "For labor, a short day is better than a short dollar." What would he say to the men in this story who had a long day and a short dollar? We must not jump to the conclusion that Jesus did not know what He was talking about, or that He stretched the truth in order to make a point. He was a keen observer of the ways of men. The parable is not about salvation. Nobody works for salvation, and certainly nobody is going to complain about own salvation or somebody elses'. Nor is Christ dealing with gaining rewards. "And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor" (I Cor. 3:8). That didn't happen in this parable. Jesus was warning His disciples about a wrong attitude in service. The setting of the parable makes this clear. Do you remember when the rich young ruler refused to give his all and follow Christ? It was on this occasion Jesus warned His disciples about riches. Peter responded in a natural way. He had forsaken all, what was he going to get? The Lord's answer was encouraging, God would repay them a hundredfold for their sacrifice. However Jesus detected in Peter's question an attitude of heart that was dangerous. To counteract this subtle attitude of "What am I going to get?" The Lord told this parable, and in it, He gave several warnings that relate to Christian service. First, Don't make bargains with God. Day laborers would gather in the town market place early in the morning, employers would hire them for the day. The owner of the vineyard was anxious to get his harvest in. He went to town at 6AM. 3PM. and 5PM. We learn there are two kinds of workers. The men hired early in the morning would not go to work until they know how much they would make. The other workers had no contract. At pay time the first received exactly the amount they had bargained for. This applied to Peter. He was signing a contract. The lesson is, don't make bargains with God. Let Him write the contract and pay the wages, for He is generous. If we write the contract and tell God what we want, we will always be the losers. If we let God do it His way, we will receive exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20). Our Master in heaven does not limit Himself to what is just and equal. He gives what is gracious and generous. God is more interested in our heart attitudes than in our work. If our hearts are right our work will be right, if our hearts are selfish, our work will suffer. Our relationship to the Master is most important. Do we trust Him? Do we believe His Word? Are we willing to work without a contract. Second, Don't watch other workers. The disciples were often guilty of watching other people and drawing wrong conclusions. A man cast out a demon, but since the man did not belong to their group, they rebuked him. In response Jesus rebuked them. The disciples were not able to cast out demons, but they dared attack those whose success exposed their own failures. When we get our eyes off the Lord and start watching others certain symptoms show up. We begin to envy others. We have an evil eye when we can't see anything good about another. When we start comparing we start coveting, and complaining. We get bitter toward God. We feel that God given us a raw deal. The Elder Brother said "These many years have I served you." It is sin for believers to watch one another and judge one another. We need to watch over one another in tender love and seek to help one another. When we keep our eyes on other Christians they come between God and us. We need to learn as believers, that we are co laborers, not competitors. We must seek to please the Master. Third, Don't be overconfident. Whenever we are tempted to boast about our work, or belittle anothers' work, we ought to read I Cor. 4:5). Our judgments are faulty because we do not see a persons heart. It is the motive that determines the value of the ministry. We must not serve God only for reward. The main lesson of this parable is that workers must watch their motives and be sure they are serving God because of love for Him. A good example of this was Jonah. He did God's work, but he was not in God's will, nor did he please God's heart. Did Peter learn the lesson Christ was trying to teach? You can find the answer in Acts 3:6. Are you willing to serve without as contract? Do you trust God's Word and really believe that God is generous? Or are you bitter because somebody else got what you may think is a better deal? Are you a people watcher? What changes are you going to make because of today's lesson? Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Do You Lack Courage

Please read Zechariah 4:1-10. During this time period (the above verses) God called two prophets on the scene, Haggai and Zechariah. They came in a time of extreme national discouragement. God has instructed the people to rebuild the Temple. But after 14 years it still lay in ruins. The nations was in a spiritually demoralized state of being. They had lost their heart for God and His work. In this context God said "It's not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts." Note three truths that apply just a well to the times we live in. First, a view of fruitless times. It was a time of drought, spiritually and in the land. During dry times we need to get thirsty for the power of God. I remember hearing an old evangelist say "I would rather be a back alley bookie than a preacher without the power of God." It was a time of discouragement. In the spiritual realm discouragement will bring the drought. It was a time of division. The nation was divided and it was a time of defeat. There had been 14 years of no blessing from the Lord. Second, the writer point out the vanity of fleshly efforts. Might, refers to human resources, strength, ability and wealth. Power, refers to personality, flesh, mental strength. We will never win spiritual battles in the flesh. Third, the victory of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Our problem is not with the lack of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will do His office work if we would just give Him office space. "If our churches have not the Spirit of God it is better to nail shut the doors and windows and put a black cross over them saying "God have mercy on us." A church in the land without the power of the Spirit of God is more of a curse than a blessing. Charles Spurgeon said "Failure follows on the heals of self confidence." Beware of worshiping the "god of common sense." That is relying on what others say rather than on what God says. A young preacher did a good job on the Sunday morning sermon. As an older believer walked out he complemented the young preacher on the message. The young preacher said "It was Jesus." The older saint said "No, it wasn't, it wasn't that good." The power of the Holy Spirit gives us staying power. Discouragement comes and fellows want to quit. When the things go wrong as they sometimes will, The road your trudging seems all up hill. When the funds are low and the debts are high, You want to smile but you have to sigh. When cares seem to press you down a bit, Rest if you must but don't you quit. Life is clear with its twists and turns, As everyone of us sometimes learns. And many a failure turns about, He might have won had he stuck it out. Don't give up though the pace is slow, You might succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering heart. Often the struggler has given up when he might have gained the victors cup, and learned too late when the night slipped down how close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out, The silver tint in the clouds of doubt. And you can never tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far. So stick to the fight when your hardest hit, When things seem worse you must not quit. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.