Circuit Thoughts

Let’s talk Kingdom talk.

Matthew 20:1-16 is a rather lengthy parable that I believe is the best description of what to expect in the Kingdom of God. It is the parable of the vineyard workers. In it the vineyard owner hires helpers for the harvest. He goes out at different times during the day and brings in more help. Some of the workers work all day, others work only an hour, and the rest work a variance of time in between. At the end of the day the owner pays the workers. All of them receive the same amount. Whether they worked all day, or just an hour, each man received a denarius. There was some protesting, but the owner had a valid point. The amount was agreed upon ahead of time; thus, they received what they were promised.

Now, how does this relate to the kingdom of God. Well to put it simply, in my humble opinion, everyone will be equal in the Kingdom. This means that we will all share equally in the kingdom of God. There is no hierarchy, nor preferred seating at the table. Whether you were saved as a child, or late in life, God will treat each of us equally.

Now, I know there are folks that have a hard time with this. The problem is, we cannot look at the kingdom through the lens of the world. The world tells us we must earn our spot. The better we work, the more we earn. The longer we work leads to more benefits later. This is the way for the world.

But, in the kingdom, things are not like the world. First off, we have GRACE. This is an unmerited favor. God pours grace out on all who will receive. We are all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God. We cannot be saved by our own hand, only Christ can save us through his blood. It is Christ who provides our salvation, not our own works. This means that we are all loved with the same undying passion that only Christ can offer.

It also means that since we did not earn our salvation, we all have equal standing before Christ. Whether we were the first to be saved, or the last, we stand before Christ equally.

My friends, there are no “better” or “best” followers of Christ. There are just followers. The work of the kingdom is shared with all believers. Those who accept Christ will receive the Kingdom, those who don’t won’t. That is the only division of the kingdom of God. Those who believe will be given heaven, those who do not believe will not receive the kingdom.

Let’s put to rest this idea of a heaven of preference, and let’s be part of the bigger picture. God is our father; thus, we are his children. Romans 8:16-17, “The spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…” This means our shared inheritance is greater than anything we can imagine.

Just a thought.

Shalom my friends. See you in church.