The Lord Is Good

THE LORD IS GOOD
Psalms 100:1 - 5

Jesus told the story of a man that owned a vineyard and hired people at various times of the day in Matt 20:1-16.

"Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?" Matt 20:13-15 NIV

I. Open Your Eyes to the Generosity of God

God is never unfair He is most often generous, there are blessings and benefits of following Christ.

Our relationship with God is not a partnership between equals. He always does much more for us than we can ever do for him.

We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19 NKJV

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35 NIV

II. Make Yourself Available for His Blessings

Some stayed until the very last hour refusing to give up on the idea of earning a little bit of income.

They positioned themselves for a good thing but an even better thing happened.

"Ninety percent of success is just showing up." Author Unknown

Get your priorities in order and put yourself in the place to receive His showers of blessings.

III. Learn To Share the Joy of Others

When they received it [their pay], they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' Matt 20:11-15 NIV

They became so jealous it ruins their ability to enjoy what they have, it leads to misery.

Refuse to be envious when others receive a gift seemingly better than anything you have. Be gracious and rejoice with them.

The word OPEN is the key words to living in God's grace. It is the opposite of CLOSED.

For your life to be filled with God's gracious goodness open yourself up to it.

Open your eyes and look for evidence of his goodness and generosity.

Open your mind to the possibilities that exist in him and position yourself to receive his blessings.

Open your heart to others, be thankful to God for the blessings that he gives you and others.

Living in God's grace is not a competition, it's a celebration. Open yourself up to it.