Today Our Daily Bread

~Everyday~
1 Corinthians 10:3-4
3And all [of them] ate the same spiritual (supernaturally given) food,(A)
4And they all drank the same spiritual (supernaturally given) drink. For they drank from a spiritual Rock which followed them [produced by the sole power of God Himself without natural instrumentality], and the Rock was Christ.(B)
John 17:8
8For the [uttered] words that You gave Me I have given them; and they have received and accepted [them] and have come to know positively and in reality [to believe with absolute assurance] that I came forth from Your presence, and they have believed and are convinced that You did send Me.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
~Today~
Matthew 20: 1 - 34
1 "For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of an estate who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage F108 and sent them out to work. 3 "At nine o'clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 At noon and again around three o'clock he did the same thing. 6 At five o'clock that evening he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, 'Why haven't you been working today?' 7 "They replied, 'Because no one hired us.'"The owner of the estate told them, 'Then go on out and join the others in my vineyard.' 8 "That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. 9 When those hired at five o'clock were paid, each received a full day's wage. 10 When those hired earlier came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day's wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested, 12 'Those people worked only one hour, and yet you've paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.' 13 "He answered one of them, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair! Didn't you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14 Take it and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be angry because I am kind?' 16 "And so it is, that many who are first now will be last then; and those who are last now will be first then."
17 As Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. 18 "When we get to Jerusalem," he said, "the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. 19 Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, whipped, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead."
20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 "What is your request?" he asked. She replied, "In your Kingdom, will you let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one at your right and the other at your left?" 22 But Jesus told them, "You don't know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of sorrow I am about to drink?" "Oh yes," they replied, "we are able!" 23 "You will indeed drink from it," he told them. "But I have no right to say who will sit on the thrones next to mine. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen." 24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25 But Jesus called them together and said, "You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. 26 But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must become your slave. 28 For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many."
29 As Jesus and the disciples left the city of Jericho, a huge crowd followed behind. 30 Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 31 The crowd told them to be quiet, but they only shouted louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 32 Jesus stopped in the road and called, "What do you want me to do for you?" 33 "Lord," they said, "we want to see!" 34 Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.
FOOTNOTES:F108: Greek a denarius, the payment for a full day's labor; also in 20:9, 10, 13.
The New Living Translation
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Lena's Comments ~
God has purposed, is purposing and will purpose to bring laborers into His harvest field. He paid the same price for all to work it. It was worth it to Him to pay that price, that we would find our purpose, live our purpose and be rewarded for that purpose. We have looked at this from such a self-centered view, What if we see it from the Employer’s perspective. The field is the world, the people of earth who need to be saved out of the punishment of sin, where they are doomed for eternal darkness. He has been asking for laborers, who will do the work, because He has paid the high price for this field with His own sweat and blood. He is now asking us to work in it and will continue to ask, as long as there is still time. Do we see what is in it for us? Or what is in it for others? Or what is in it for Him! UNTO HIMN shall the gathering of the people be. May it be so, and may I be a part as long as I have time to be!
Notice in the very next verses 17- He starts to show the price He was willing to pay for this field. It is ALL about giving, giving of one’s life so that others may have eternal life with God, rather than eternal death and torment with satan. Jesus was demonstrating to His disciples how precious people are to His Father and to Him. How high a price He is/was willing to pay for their souls and their rescue out of the worst place they could ever go, if He was not willing to pay this price, how could he ask us to? But He was willing and is willing that none would perish. That’s what the parable of the Vineyard is about. The enemy does not want us to see the serious magnitude of this, he wants us in denial of what really is and will be. He wants us to stay selfish and be self seeking, rather than God and people seeking. I keep this before my eyes daily so I keep centered on what is real, what is true – Love God #1 & Love People #2.
One more point to ponder- He bought this field with His blood. He paid its price and now owns it. How can we think we own it is a way that we use and abuse it however we want? How can we think we are our own employers aside from His will? How can we even run businesses here aside from His purposes? NO, we have seen this picture misconstrued. We ARE His workers, in HIS field. Even our jobs were designed for this! When we find ourselves in a place of hiring others…think about all of that.