I'm just a day laborer...

In the parable of the day laborers, Max Lucado in his study bible emphasizes the 'lack' in the guys who were still left to be chosen at the five o'clock shift. He asks something to the effect, 'Who or what kind of worker gets left out till last call? Why would they still be at the gettin' spot?'

That was a really cool observation, but the part that I found intriguing was the order of pay at the end of the day. The boss paid the 1-hour worker first and the 12-hour worker last. Same wages of course, but I thought in backwards order. The order thing takes the last shall be first and the first shall be last thing in a direction that I didn't expect. It kept the last workers from knowing what the first workers earned--eliminating some pride. And they have to wonder, 'Wow, if I got paid this much, then I wonder how good the early shift got it? What did I miss out on?'

The all-day laborer, as with the brother of the prodigal, was forced to watch grace and generosity at its' finest. And gratitude by them by then was found at its' worst. He felt as though he'd earned his wages with a full days' work. Wow! Those of us who come to Christ early struggle with religion, the getting-the-job-done-and-all-that-we-do-for-God mentality. How dare any of us or our Moms' ask to sit at His side. We forget that every single one of us started 'on the curb'. No one already had a job. Every stinkin' last one of us was beggin' for work. At the dawn of the day we were all elbow to elbow--even steven. At the dusk of the day we were better than most? No, we were just a lucky choice! On any given day the tables probably turned. On that day it was our turn.

With God it's an even playing field and an even pay grade....always much more than we ever deserve!