God's Currency Is His Love

In the days before I got saved, I recall falling deeper and deeper into despair. I could not understand it because I thought that at the time I was living my life in complete freedom. I was doing as I pleased and was not worrying about judging anything right or wrong.

Looking back, though, my conscience ---that thingamajig that God has built into every human person--- must have been telling me that a whole lot was not right in my life. Subconsciously, I must have been thinking I was a hopeless case. While I chose vigorously back then not to believe in heaven or hell, something in me kept nagging about the possibility that they may be real. There was no way of finding out except in dying. And I was not getting any younger.

What if heaven and hell were true? At the back of my mind I knew my life would never be assessed as good enough for heaven.

Well, guess what, a Christian friend of mine caught me just when my despair was deepest and told me that no one is so terrible a sinner that God, in His outrageous love, could not forgive!

Oh, yeah. You better believe that constant nagging disappeared and my heart has been dancing in worship of God ever since.

Scripture:
"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man 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." (Matthew 20:13-16)

Observation:
The landowner in Jesus' Parable of The Workers in The Vineyard is paying as agreed. The agreement was work in the day for one denarius, not work per hour in the day for one denarius per hour. He is doing as he pleases with currency he owns.

Application:
The landowner in the parable is God. The currency is God's love. God lavishes His love the same to those who have only recently believed and to those who have labored and sacrificed for Him a long time since coming to know Him as Savior and LORD. God's love is abundantly sufficient for all and for all time.

Prayer:
Father I praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, who gave You glory by personifying Your love and pouring it out so extravagantly by sacrificing Himself so that we may not need to suffer eternal damnation for our sins. Holy Spirit use me so that the Son may be glorified as He glorifies the Father. In Jesus' mighty Name I pray. Amen.

May 4, 2007 entry to the personal handwritten journal I use in my quiet time with God.

"Artwork by John Bell copyright 1998-2007 (http://www.jrbell.com/index.html) used with permission".