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Same Reward
Friday, April 4, 2025 by Rick Stockwell
Same Reward
READ Matthew 20:1-16
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
-- Matthew 20:16 (NIV)
I ran four marathons in my life—Hartford, Vermont, New York, and Marine Corps—but none of them went as well as I’d hoped. Although I’d spent at least six months preparing for each, I either developed shin splints or muscle cramps, or experienced low energy along the way, that made each race a challenge. Once I crossed the finish line, I experienced a sense of great relief and accomplishment, and was awarded a gold participant medal.
My full marathon days are over now, but I recently participated in a marathon relay to support a local charity. Four team members ran the first twenty miles while I ran the last six. Once again, I was happy to cross the finish line, but it was odd that I earned the same reward—a gold medal—for less than a quarter of the effort of a full marathon.
In the lesson for today, the owner of the field promised to give each worker a denarius for a day’s labor. Some workers started early in the morning, some in the afternoon, and some one hour before quitting time. At the end of the workday, each worker was given the same pay. The workers who’d worked all day grumbled that they weren’t paid more, but the owner stated he was not being unfair to them, because he paid them what he promised. In this parable taught by Jesus, the owner of the field is God, the workers are each of us, and the pay is entry into heaven by God’s grace, not by our efforts to earn God’s favor.
While salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work hard. “Surely you [God] will reward each person according to what he has done” (Psalm 62:12b). Each Christian will be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ for any good works done on earth for the glory of God and benefit of others (Romans 14:10-12, 1 Corinthians 3:10-4:5, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10).
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Those who are first in this world may be last in the next.
Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for the grace you’ve shown us through your son.
Prayer Focus: THOSE TRYING TO EARN GOD’S FAVOR
Rick Stockwell
Rick Stockwell is employed as an IT Program Manager, teaches Sunday school for kindergartners, is an elder at his church, has been married for thirty-five years, and has two children and five grandchildren.
Rick is also the author of two novels in his Heavenly Realms series called The Wall and The Battle. Audio, eBook and paperback versions are accessible via this link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07HQ8G3MJ
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