Scripture
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. – Matthew 20:1-2
Today, we walk through the Parable of the Vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16. It’s very common in Western culture to approach our faith by putting ourselves at the center. Even when we read the Bible, we tend to ask: “What does this say to me?”
However, this is antithetical to the world of the Bible. Jesus would never have called anyone to repentance based upon what God can do for them. Rather, He called them to repentance based upon this simple realization: God is King, you are not, and neither am I. It is our job to serve Him who is King.
Question: How can you obey God’s commandments today?
Prayer Starter: Jesus, please forgive me for putting myself at the center of my relationship with You. I submit my will to Yours today, choosing to obey You first, thinking of Your will over my own. Jesus, have Your way in my life today.
Family Chat: *Today’s Question, Prayer Starter, and Take Action are great conversation and prayer starters for today’s Family Chat!*
Take Action: Stay in His Word, listen for His voice, and obey Him when you hear it—the first time and every time—with a happy heart!
Challenge: Meet with your life group and talk through both the questions you’ve answered this week and the challenges you have faced (or are still facing!) as you follow Jesus. Be honest about what’s worked for you, as well as areas where you may have missed the mark.
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Scripture
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” – Matthew 20:1-16
Today Pastor Chad Denmon walks us through the Parable of the Vineyard and how easy it is to be like the worker who works only for the reward of his daily wage. Because he is focused on what he might receive, he misses out on a relationship with the vineyard owner.
We can also get off track sometimes, focusing on recognition or reward that might come from serving God, rather than our service simply being out of the overflow of our relationship with Him. But Pastor Chad reminds us that God is already proud of us—He loves you, and He loves me!
If this describes you today, repent from that motive and pursue your relationship with Jesus first! Ultimately, our reward for serving God is the salvation, hope, restoration, and healing that come because of what Jesus did for us, not what we can do for Him.
Question: Do you serve God out of your love for Him, or do you serve Him hoping for a reward or recognition?
Family Chat: As you think about your relationship with God, do you think He wants you to spend more or less time with Him?
Take action: Set aside your doing for a time and simply spend time being with God, in His presence. Get alone with Him and worship Him. Turn on some worship music and sing songs to Him that are about Him. Spend time talking to Him about what He means to you, focusing on His greatness over yours. Thank Him for everything you can think of to thank Him for.
If this is hard for you, ask God to bring you back to a place where your greatest desire is to submit to Him, love Him, and trust Him.
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Scripture
Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, “Come along now and sit down to eat”? Won’t he rather say, “Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink”? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” – Luke 17:7-10
Today, Pastor Harry reminds us that in our Western culture, this thought of servitude—of doing what you are told to do—is repulsive to many people; but it was the norm for those in Jesus’ day. In this passage Jesus asks a much larger question of the disciples: “Is the Master indebted to the servant because of everything the servant has done for the Master?”
In the same way, God is not indebted to us because we serve Him, worship Him, or surrender our lives to Him. We don’t serve God to receive from Him; we serve God because He is God. He commands; we obey. We were created for His glory to do His will.
A gift’s value increases immensely when the recipient knows that the giver wants nothing in return, but gives the gift simply out of love. Similarly, our motive behind our service to God is what matters.
Question: Why are you serving God? Are you serving Him for a reward, to get something back from Him? Do you think or feel that God owes you something, or are you serving Him just because He is God?
Prayer Starter: Jesus, may my thoughts, my words, and my actions today remain humbly in alignment with Your will for my life. I choose today to honor You in all things, without seeking a reward for obedience. You are God, and I am not.
Family Chat: Today’s Question, Prayer Starter, and Take Action are great conversation and prayer starters for today’s Family Chat!
Take Action: Check the “why” behind your “what.” Why do you choose to serve, to tithe, or to give of your time and talents? Talk to your accountability partner about it.
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Scripture
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. – Matthew 21:28-32
Today, Pastor Kevin Atkinson reminds us that we’re taught to obey God, as well as those in authority over us. The problem with obedience is simply our reluctance to obey.
We struggle with obedience not because we have a hearing problem, but because we have a doing problem! Sometimes this is simply rebellion (“I don’t want to”), and other times it’s because of a lack of self-worth (“I’m afraid to”). Fear of failure, thinking we’ll get it wrong again, causes us to then make excuses about why we can’t obey. But that then robs us of the greater joy of seeing God work miracles.
We can practice quick obedience by first saying yes from a place of trust, not timidity. Then we practice follow-through: Say-so, do-so! We do what we say we’ll do.
Finally, when we practice staying sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we grow curious about what His next step is. We realize that what God has for us, and for everybody, is good things, and it shapes our prayers as an expectant, “What else can I do?” because we are confident that at the end of this story is a joyous victory!
Question: Do you struggle with obedience?
Prayer Starter: If you are in a pattern of making excuses rather than quickly obeying, or you struggle with self-worth, take a moment right now to ask the Holy Spirit to show you where this is coming from. Our God loves to trade up! He loves to take our brokenness and despair and make something beautiful. Whatever you’re carrying in your heart—rejection, rebellion, distrust, fear, pain, grief, sickness, or loneliness—picture yourself handing that to God to carry for you. Ask Him, “What do You have for me in exchange?” (see Isaiah 61:3).
Family Chat: Do you struggle with obedience? Are your insides and outsides mismatched?
Take Action: If either answer is yes, take some time today to do a heart inventory and ask God to help you be real in your conversations with Him. (See the suggested Prayer Starter.) As Pastor Rick says, “Be real, because fake is exhausting!”
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Scripture
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” – Matthew 25:23
In today’s teaching, Rachael Bernardi uses the Parable of the Talents to remind us that God has entrusted us with His most prized possession: the moments when we talk about our relationship with Jesus with others in order to bring them into a relationship with Him, too.
God doesn’t expect more of us than we can give, but He also doesn’t expect less, either! He expects us to be wise stewards of our time and our thoughts; our emotions and our energy; our health and our wealth. Part of our stewardship is creating margin in our lives so that we can do the things God has called us to.
Question: Are you willing to share God’s prized possession of a relationship with Jesus with others? Does the way you love others demonstrate the gift that God has given you?
Prayer Starter: Jesus, I invite You to show me where my priorities have drifted off course, even if just a little bit. Please give me eyes to see the people around me the way You see them, and give me opportunities to share the good news of Your mercy with others who don’t know You yet.
Family Chat: With whom do you need to share the amazing love of Jesus?
Take Action: Practice sharing the Gospel with others. Practice telling your Jesus story to your friends until you can accomplish it in one to three minutes. Pay attention to favorable moments the Lord will start putting in front of you as you prepare!
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Scripture
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” – Matthew 7:21-23
In today’s teaching, Marc Turnage explains that being Jesus’ followers is about obedience to God and His commands. It’s not about making Him or those in our communities of faith into superheroes.
Being a follower of Jesus means to daily obey our Father in heaven. Every day, we recognize who the King of the universe is and what our relationship with Him is.
God is King; we are not. The mark of us being His followers is doing the will of His Father who is in heaven.
Question: Are you seeking to do God’s will and to apply His commandments in your daily life?
Family Chat: Did you know that obedience to your parents is how you learn to obey God? We must learn to obey our parents and the authority that God puts in our lives.
Take Action: When you hear God’s voice today, obey it. If you don’t yet have an accountability partner, choose someone specifically for the purpose of growing in obeying God’s commands each and every day.
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