Matthew 20:12
“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.”
Five different groups of workers are hired in this parable of the vineyard workers. The first group complains when those who work only the last hour get paid the same wages as themselves, who’ve been working all day. These are performance-base believers. They think that God is getting a great deal on them because of the number of hours they put in as a Christian, how many good things they accomplish, and how many sins they avoid. Instead of rejoicing with those who accept Jesus later in life, they are resentful.
These people are pretty easy to spot because they have 3 obvious characteristics:
1.) They have a complaining spirit. They overlook the good and magnify the bad and seek out people who agree with them. A complaining spirit is deadly; killing hearts and relationships and churches. The CURE is to develop a spirit of continual gratitude for what God has done and still doing. When your attitude in angry and not rejoiceful for someone who has lived in sin for so long and finally accepts Jesus as Lord late in their life, you are missing the point of the Gospel. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
2.) They have a resentful spirit. Instead of rejoicing and living in God’s grace, they act like duty-bound soldiers instead of loving volunteers, behaving as though everything is a chore. They struggle constantly for God’s approval through the things they “have” to do. The CURE is to reflect on God’s love and grace, it is very hard to feel love and resentment at the same time. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
3.) They have a judgmental spirit. They walk around sizing everyone up, always comparing others to themselves. They don’t understand that God dispenses gifts, not wages. The CURE is to realize that God doesn’t repay us according to our iniquities, but lavishes us with love and mercy. (Psalm 103:10)
