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.’ – Matthew 20:6-7 NKJV
REFERENCE
Matthew 20:1-16
The eleventh hour in biblical Jewish setting was like 5pm, an hour to the close of day-work. This suggests that the men in our text today, hired at 5pm, had been standing looking for a job almost all day. Jesus said in John 9:4, “Work during the day, for the night comes when no man can work.” (Paraphrased). The day pictures the useful and youthful season of one’s life, while the night implies old age. So, it appears that these men spent almost all their youthful years looking for a job, a gainful employment or a business (contract) but had no opportunity.
I have done the above explanation for you to know that if you have a job, a thriving business or a successful career, it is because God smiled on you. It is not because of your school degree or family pedigree; it is not because of your state of origin or the fact that you are well ‘connected’…for the race is not to the swift. It is because God favored you, He made a way, He ‘pulled some strings’ and ‘worked some math’ for you to be where you are. There are still many standing at the marketplace, on the roadside, in the unemployment market, hunting, submitting proposals, closing down their shops, going for the umpteenth job interview with no hope of success, sacked because of economic conditions, failed another professional exam, not had a source of income for months…actually, years…and the list goes on.
Don’t move on as if what you have, where you work, or what you do is a BIRTHRIGHT, no, it is an unforgettable thing that God has done for you. Therefore, this season of Thanksgiving, give God an #un4gettable praise for the privilege to have been ‘hired’ early in life, when you could have still been waiting till the 11th hour, or 5pm.
I don’t care where you work, how much you earn, what profession you are in, how low sales may be or how slow ‘things’ are moving; you are one in a hundred people – so, thank God! Be exuberant in your praise! Rejoice because the story could have been different! Sing for joy that you were ‘hired!’ Thank God for your boss, colleagues, customers, partners, clients, employees, patients, patrons and mentors. Thank Him for retainer-ships, professional affiliations, your shop, office, construction site, firm, etc.
Today, #iDareYou to testify about the miracle of your job, business or career. And if you are one still ‘standing’ in the marketplace, waiting to be hired, thank God because Jesus, the Ultimate Employer, is on His way to change your story.
ADDITIONAL STUDY
Ecclesiastes 9:10-11, II Thessalonians 3:6-12
PRAYER POINTS
Father I thank you for giving me the opportunity to WORK, thank you for those connected to me by virtue of the work I do. I praise You for blessing the work my hands have found to do.
