Gen 31-32
God was with Jacob, and those who intended to cheat him or do him harm did not stop God’s blessing in Jacob’s life. This is a good reminder to me that no matter what others – especially those in a position of power or authority over me – do to me, it is ultimately God who controls what happens to me.
I see this in my husband’s life, too. We were just talking this morning about how his former boss cheated him for so many years, and it’s true that he did. But, while my husband chooses to focus on what his ex-boss did, I see that God blessed him in so many ways in spite of that man. God grows us through hardship. It would be great if we could be grateful for the Labans in our lives because of how God refines us through them and because it is God and not them who controls what happens to us.
Matt. 20:1-16
Ah, yes – that oh, so unpopular parable about the hired workers! Lots to say about this one, but there are a couple of things that I am noticing with this today. One is that this is actually a continuation of the conversation that we read yesterday, where Jesus started talking about the first being last and the last first. The other is the comment from the master of the house of, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong.” (Matt 20:13) The thought this sparks in my head is that the Kingdom of Heaven is not about being glorified or gaining superiority over others in any way, or even about comparing yourself to others in any way. It is about your relationship with God and your service to others (and thus, to Him). If we are striving to be the greatest or are looking to be glorified above others, not only will we be disappointed, but we have missed the point!
Both of today’s passages reinforce to me the importance of keeping my focus on God alone. What others do to me does not really matter, and how I compare in any way with others does not matter. It is God who blesses and keeps me, and this by His own merit and not by mine. A saying that I love (though I’m not sure whose it is – maybe Josh McDowell?) goes something like this: If one man can jump 6 feet high and another can only jump 6 inches high, what difference does it make if the target is the moon? Our standard is God, and God alone – let’s focus on that!