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God's Generosity
Andrea Lende • December 15, 2020
Matthew 20:14-15
God’s Generosity
You may also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Gods-Generosity-enr8lt
Matthew 20:14-15
“Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this man hired last the same as I give to you.”
“Am I not permitted to do what I choose with what is mine? [Or do you begrudge my being generous?] Is your eye evil because I am good?”
I was reading the parable Jesus told about the estate owner who paid all the workman the same wage no matter how much work they did for him.
Some of the men started work early in the day.
Some started at midday.
And others started in the last hour.
All were paid the same.
The men who worked all day were upset they didn’t earn more than the ones who only worked an hour or so.
However, the estate owner was generous with all the men.
He seemed especially generous to the workers who only worked a little.
Jesus told this parable to try and explain the generosity of God.
There are some people who have believed and served all their lives.
They have given of themselves even when it was inconvenient.
They deprived themselves as well.
Then there are people who didn’t known the Lord until the end of their lives.
They lived their lives according to their desires.
They experienced all the earthly pleasures.
They may have stolen, lied, cheated, or even killed.
And in the last hour of their lives, they found the Lord.
They accepted the Lord as their Savior before their death and they were received in heaven by our Almighty God and King.
All people receive the same reward.
Eternal life with the Lord.
Does this seem fair?
Should the evil doer get the same reward as the lifelong believer?
What was the benefit to the one who denied him or herself the pleasures of this life?
A lifetime with Jesus as their Lord.
A lifetime of living in the presence of the Lord.
A lifetime of being directed by the Great I AM.
I cannot imagine walking a day without Jesus by my side.
Jesus shows us the generosity of our God through the parable He told.
God is more than generous.
His grace is immeasurable.
His love is incomprehensible.
And the beauty of it all is that we don’t deserve any of it.
We cannot earn it.
We cannot be good enough to have it.
There is nothing we can do to have His love bestowed upon us more than it already is.
He simply loves us.
That is the why the story of Jesus’ death on the cross means so much.
No one can earn forgiveness.
No one deserves it.
It has been done for us so we can commune with the Great Almighty.
Grace.
Unbelievable, undeserved, more than enough – grace.
Today I am thankful for God’s immeasurable generosity as He gave His Son as a sacrifice so we could be in relationship with Him and live with Him for eternity.
May you find the Lord to be generous in His love and grace for you every day of your life.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for showing me more about Your generosity. Thank You for showing me Your generosity to all Your people. Your love is infinite. Your grace is more than enough and is ever flowing in our lives. There is more than enough of You for all of us. Thank You, Lord, that Your generosity goes beyond my ability to deserve it. Undeserving of all You give to me You give it anyway. I cannot be good enough or do enough to deserve the kind of love You offer to me. I am the result of the work of Your hands, and Your plans for me are wonderful. Thank You, Lord, for Your perfect plan. Help me do all You have planned for me to do. Help me serve You with my entire being. May Your joy fill my soul as I serve You, Lord. Put Your love in my heart so it overflows into the lives of others. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM and My generosity is upon you and all My people.
Response: Thank You, Father, for an immeasurable amount of grace and generosity You pour over my life.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.