Author: Bill Hall

Matthew 20:8
    There are some things to keep in mind here, otherwise the whole parable becomes rather confusing. First, remember above all else what occasioned this parable. In context, the disciples had just asked about reward in heaven. So, this parable tells us about that.
   Secondly, the main point is this idea of the last first. In this verse we see that the master of the vineyard has his steward start with the last when paying these men. Presenting the pay backwards causes everyone involved to pay close attention to what is paid. It highlights the judgment of the vineyard owner, and his magnanimous nature.
   Thus, this verse is the place where we begin to see very much the point of the parable. The Lord will reward his own as he sees fit. He will make a big deal of how he goes about it. The process will be more about the graciousness of the rewarder than the work of the rewarded.

Bible Reading: Acts 22:1-24:27

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:17 “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for always knowing the best way to do things. You are so wise! Help us to obey Your wisdom and lavish great praise upon You. You are the Almighty God of the universe, may we humbly recognize that. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man having surgery today. Pray for a woman having surgery this week.

Journal Entry #14060

Matthew 20:7
    These men had not been hired, presumably because there was something less than desirable in them. In spite of the fact that they had been passed up, the landowner offers them the same as the others he had hired after the initial batch. Whatever was right to pay them would be based upon his judgment.

Bible Reading: Acts 20:1-21:40

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:17 “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. I know that all of Your thoughts towards us are good. Even when You correct us You are doing it for our good. Thank You for that. May we lift Your praise high, because You deserve it. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man having surgery today. Pray for a woman having surgery this week.

Journal Entry #14059

Matthew 20:6
    This was 5 or 6 PM! Obviously, there was not much time left in the day to work. As the vineyard owner says, these people had been idle all day. surely they could have found some sort of gainful employment before then. It is implied here that it was probably their fault that they had been so idle. But, the man talks to them and does not pass them up, though they were the less desirable.

Bible Reading: Acts 18:1-19:41

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:17 “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have given to us the Lamb. Jesus is the sacrifice we need. He is the answer to all of life’s problems. He is our hope, and our reward. Thank You for Christ! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman with very high blood pressure. Pray for a family that just lost a loved one. Pray for a man in the hospital with pneumonia.

Journal Entry #14058

Matthew 20:5
   The landowner goes out again at around noon, and around 3 PM. Finding workers again, he hires them in the same way as those at 9 AM.

Bible Reading: Acts 16:1-17:34

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:16 “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are truly amazing! Your grace doesn’t single out only the well-deserving. You seek out the needy. You look for those looking for the answers. Thank you for the plan of salvation and Your mercy upon us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man recovering from surgery. Pray for a missionary family that is busy trying to get into the country they will be ministering in.

Journal Entry #14057

Matthew 20:4
   Notice very specifically what the landowner promises here. He tells these new hires he would pay whatever was right. In other words, they went forth to work on the basis of his promise alone, without a contract. They could not, at the end of the day, demand a certain amount. They had to trust the goodness of the man they were working for.

Bible Reading: Acts 14:1-15:41

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:16 “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the goodness of Your nature. We can always trust You to be right and gracious to us. Thank You for being so faithful! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who just lost his mother. Pray for a woman who undergoing treatments.

Journal Entry #14056

Matthew 20:3
   The third hour would probably be around 9:00 AM. These workers were standing in the marketplace, still waiting to be hired. Evidently they were less desirable, or had passed up other opportunities, or were late in getting to the marketplace. The marketplace would be a common gathering place for those seeking work.

Bible Reading: Acts 11:1-13:52

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:16 “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and mercy and grace. You know how to lead and guide our lives. You can meet all of our needs, and help us to have good wants. You satisfy the deepest needs of our soul. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a woman who just had a bad fall. Pray for a man with three different kinds of cancer.

Journal Entry #14054

Matthew 20:1-2 *There’s a first for everything, I suppose. Yesterday, for the first time, I evidently had a technical difficulty. I am pretty sure I know what happened, and I think I can prevent it. Needless to say, although I did post yesterday, the post was deleted.
   1: Many of the parables of Christ in connection with the kingdom have much to do with business. This is due to the fact that, during this present church age, the relationship between Jesus and the believer is much like that of an employer and employee. He gives the tools and resources, and we do the work.
   2: The landowner specifically agrees with the hired workers for a penny a day. This was the standard wage for a day of labor, the Roman denarius. It was worth more than a ‘penny’ and was exactly what these workers would normally expect to make in a day.

Bible Reading: Acts 9:1-10:48

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:16 “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your mighty power, which has made a way for us to be saved. Your praise should fill this earth! Every day we will sing your praise, for You are great, glorious, and gracious. May we always live to serve You with all of our hearts. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in critical condition. Pray for a woman with pancreatic cancer. Pray for a man who just had a micro valve replacement.

Journal Entry #14053

Matthew 19:30
   This verse introduces the parable in the next chapter. The thought here is that Almighty God rewards in the way he sees fit. What we would expect in regards to his rewarding of persons may not be what will actually occur.

Bible Reading: Acts 5:1-6:15

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:15 “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You know what is right. May we accept the blessings from Your hands happily. You do not treat one of us better than another. Thank You for Your kindness and love. You are glorious, lovely, and pure. May we spend our lives learning about Your nature. Thank You for this day to serve You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man recovering from surgery. Pray for a man who is traveling. Pray for an elderly lady with health issues.

Journal Entry #14052

Matthew 19:29
   This idea of receiving one hundred times as much may seem a bit far-fetched. However, notice if you will exactly what he says. The forsaking is done for the sake of the name of Christ. The sense here is that Jesus is speaking of things and persons that had to be left in order to follow Christ. And, of course, this goes right with the passage. The rich man needed to leave certain things behind in order to follow Christ. But he would not.
   Jesus is not talking about leaving people behind because of being too busy in the ministry. He is talking about being forced to choose between Christ, and a relation which will have nothing to do with him. In the same way, it is not wrong to have a house, but selling or leaving a home that is not conducive to the cause of Christ and his purpose in your life is what Jesus is talking about.
   If you talk to any Christian who has had to leave someone or something behind in order to follow our Lord, he or she will tell you that the Lord has kept regrets from them. You will never regret trading worldly things or worldly persons for the glorious Son of God. Beyond this, as Jesus says, eternal life is our heavenly reward.

Bible Reading: Acts 3:1-4:37

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:15 “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings of family. Though You are the most important person in our life, it is so wonderful to have a Christian family. Your love for us is so complete. You are worthy of all honor! Praise Your name! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for Bible preaching churches everywhere this morning. Pray for missionaries all over the world.

Journal Entry #14051

Matthew 19:28
   Some have tried to avoid interpreting this passage literally; but, I do not believe that you can do that. The term regeneration, which Jesus uses, is really the key to understanding the passage. It could refer to the future generation of all the earth and heaven, you know the new heaven and new earth, this future promise. Or, it could simply just refer to the regeneration caused by salvation. In which case it would simply refer to the then coming church age.
   It’s best to say this word is referring to both in a sense. Regeneration is salvation, but it does also very clearly refer to the future regeneration of the earth itself. However, no one who has not been regenerated spiritually will take a part in the regeneration of the earth. Those who remain unregenerate at that time, will not be involved in heavenly kingdom. They will most definitely not be on thrones or anything of the kind.
   So, because of the fact that Jesus is talking about the disciples as individuals, he is speaking of positions that they will hold in heaven, now and later. These positions will come to their fullest fruition during his millennial reign and after.

Bible Reading: John 21:1-Acts 2:47

Scripture Memory: 1 John 5:15 “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me so much! Your kindness, your grace, and you mercy, are absolutely overwhelming! How can we ever praise you enough? Your faithfulness, your deep love, your justice, all of these things are a great comfort and blessing to my heart. I cannot wait until one day in heaven when we see the complete fullness of your glory! It will be so wonderful to see our Savior the Lord Jesus face to face. We will look into his eyes and see all the fullness of God. How wonderful! You Father, are the joy of my life! May we live to love and serve you each and every day, each and every minute. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man recovering from extensive reconstructive surgery. Pray for a woman waiting for the results of an MRI. Pray for three women who have recently become widows.

Journal Entry #14050