Matthew 20:7 Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
Do you like things to be fair? I think everyone does. From the time you are a four-year-old to this very day, you are very aware of what is fair and what is not. But the one thing people like more than fairness is an unfair advantage over other people.
In Matthew 20, Jesus is addressing all of us about the concern we have over whether things are fair for us. He tells a story that goes like this, “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.”
He later went out the third hour of the day, the sixth hour of the day, and the eleventh hour of the day and each time hired others who were just loitering around the marketplace. He said to those he hired later, “Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.” He didn’t promise them a penny. He just said, “I am going to give you whatever is right.”
When the day was done, he ended up giving those who had been employed at the end of the day the same amount as those who had been working the entire day, including in the heat of the day. He addressed those who were concerned about things being fair by saying, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” God is good, and I shouldn’t be envious because He is. I need to let Jesus be the Master.
There are two actions in particular to take. First, trust Jesus’ judgment. In the story Jesus told, the master said, “Whatsoever is right I will give you.” Life is so much easier when I don’t worry about what others get, what God gives others, or where God places others. I just trust His judgment about things. Does everyone know and affirm how I’m serving God? Maybe not, but I don’t affirm others either because neither of us sees everything, but God does. So, trust Jesus’ judgment.
Second, follow His example. In verse 28 Jesus says, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Jesus’ death on the cross was not fair; it was gracious! We don’t get what we deserve; we get Heaven and fellowship with the Father because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Today, stop worrying about things that you don’t know, don’t comprehend, or don’t have the power to change. Trust Jesus to be the Master. Trust His judgment and follow His example.