Being in the market
by Sharon Shepard
Do you ever get discouraged? I''m sure you''re saying, "Who me?!
Never!!" But if you''re anything like me, after awhile of waiting on
the Lord for His promises and you don''t see anything, you get a
little discouraged.
When I went off to Texas that was how I felt. After trying to follow
God''s will for my life and failing. I felt I would never get it right,
that God had forgotten me. Somehow I had slipped through His fingers
never to be thought of again. Praise the Lord that''s not the truth! He
has us engraved on the palm of His Hand. (Is. 49:16) When I finally
realized that, is when the Lord began to speak to me on being in the
market.
Matt. 20: 1-16 is the parable about a landowner who went to the
marketplace to hire workers for his vineyard. It begins, "For the
kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the
morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with
the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And
he went about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the
marketplace, and said to them, "You also go into the vineyard, and
whatever is right I will give you. " So they went. Again he sent out
about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the
eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle and said to
them, Why have you been standing here idle all day?" They said to him,
"Because no one hired us." He said to them, "You also go into the
vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive. "
So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his
steward, "Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with
the last to the first. " And when those came who were hired about the
eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came,
they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received
each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained
against the landowner, saying, "These last men have worked only one
hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the heat of the
day. " But he answered one of them and said, "Friend, I am doing you
no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours
and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
Is it not lawful of me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is
your eye evil because I am good?" So the last will be first and first
last. For many are called, but few chosen. ,,.
Now let''s look very closely at this passage and see what Jesus was
really saying. In Biblical times the marketplace was where you went to
find a job. These workers come to the market early in the morning in
hopes of being hired. They came fully prepared with all their tools.
If you notice the word ''idle''. When we hear the word idle we think of
being lazy, and unproductive. That is not what the word means in this
instance. A good word picture for it would be like a car idling. It''s
running and ready to go all you need to do is put it in gear and step
on the gas. In the same way we need to be idling, not just sitting at
home and waiting for God to come knock on the door. We need to be
preparing ourselves, reading the word, praying, diligently seeking
Him.
In this passage we see that the landowner is the Lord, we are the
workers, and the vineyard is the lost souls of this world. The Lord
comes many times to the marketplace looking for those who will answer
the call. He even came at the last hour before quitting time.
Too many ofus sit in the marketplace until the 9th hour waiting for
God to use us. When we see nothing happening, we quit and go home.
Just when He was about to call you out. That is why it is said, ''''many
are called and few are chosen .. ". My friend we need to stay in the
market and wait on the Lord as we live in this last hour. Our Father
is looking for those who have the persistence to wait on Him and serve
Him with passion and zeal! Isn''t it awesome that He is the God of the
eleventh hour and He will use any willing vessel. He will also give us
the same reward as those who have borne the "heat of the day". Praise
the Lord! I encourage you today to get yourself ready. Be prepared so
when He chooses you, you can say, "Here am I Lord, send me!"
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