[Jesus speaking]
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.

God is sovereign. He created us, he sustains us, and he decides who to bless at what time and in what way.

He is goodness defined. When we go to him and compare our work to others, and living in a place of complaining at unequal treatment, we are not recognizing his sovereignty or trusting his goodness.

The above passage can apply to many facets of God’s nature, but most importantly to how he merits our grace through Jesus. Jesus died for all to pay the price of our sin. So if one person lives their whole life following him and another decides to follow him just before they die of old age, he accepts them both. This is his choice, and we need to trust him.

Like the parable of the prodigal son (found in Like 15:11-32), God accepts the son who arrived late in forgiveness and throws a party and celebrates his redemption. And he explains to his other son that we always celebrate those who were lost and are now found.

If we focus on comparing our righteousness to others, we miss the point. The point is that salvation is not earned, but a gift. And this gift is given to the repentant heart who calls Jesus “Savior” and makes him the Lord of their lives.

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭8‬)

Lord, help me to follow your model of humility. May I seek you first and listen to and follow your Spirit and your Word. And may I seek your approval and not the approval of men. You act differently than the world. You love the lost. You don’t keep a record of wrongs for those who receive your grace. Thank you for this. I need lots of grace!