Bible Reading: Matthew 20:1-16; Ephesians 2:8-9

“How was the pizza party?” Mom asked as Addy climbed into the car and buckled her seatbelt.

Addy wasn’t sure how to answer. She had chosen to give up her lunch recess five days in a row to help pick up litter, pull weeds from the cracked pavement, and spread new wood chips under the monkey bars. Being on the clean-up crew was hard work, but she didn’t mind. The playground was looking so much better, and Ms. Chambers, the custodian, had promised the crew a pizza party as a reward.

“It was good and bad, I guess,” Addy said. “Good because I got my favorite–pepperoni with extra cheese. Bad because Henry was there.”

“Henry was on the clean-up crew?” Mom’s face looked surprised in the rearview mirror.

Addy nodded. “But he was late every day and mostly just goofed around. Henry didn’t work nearly as hard as the rest of us. I don’t understand why he got to come to the party.”

“That reminds me of a story Jesus told about some workers who were hired to clear a field,” Mom said. “Some of them started at nine in the morning, some at noon, some at three, and some at five. When the workday was over, the owner of the field paid everyone a full day’s wage.”

“That’s not fair!” Addy burst out. “The people who started later shouldn’t have gotten the same pay as the ones who worked all day.”

“It might not seem fair, but instead of comparing the workers, maybe we can think about how generous the owner of the field was to all of them.”

Addy was quiet for a minute. She thought about how Ms. Chambers was always patient and kind to everyone–even the kids who made the biggest messes in the lunchroom. “Ms. Chambers is kind of like the owner of the field, isn’t she? She kept her promise to all of us–even Henry, who did the least work of all.”

“Yes, Addy, and the owner of the field is like Jesus, who gives grace and keeps His promises to all of us who trust in Him. The way He works is sometimes hard for us to understand, but we can be grateful that He is always good.”

–Susie Crosby

How About You?
Do you sometimes feel frustrated when someone who didn’t work as hard as you gets the same prize or payment? Sometimes things don’t seem fair, but the good news is that God is generous and kind to everyone. None of us could earn the reward of eternal life with Him, but because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again, we are all invited to the party in heaven forever.

Today’s Key Verse:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (NIV) (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Today’s Key Thought:
God offers grace to everyone