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Thoughts From Bob Goff

Dear Friends,

I came across a thought-provoking little message about grace today which I wanted to pass along for your encouragement. It is by Bob Goff and is entitled “Grace is Only Hard To Give If We’re Keeping Score.” It is from his devotional book, “Live in Grace, Walk in Love.”


Those who have been called upon to extend grace to others know there are two occasions when grace can indeed be hard for us to do. The first is when God calls us as recipients of His pardoning grace to show that same kind of grace to others (Matthew 18:21-35). The second is when we are (to use Goff’s words) “keeping score” and see others receiving more of it than we do (Matthew 20:1-16). This entry has to do with the second. Enjoy.

Grace is Only Hard to Give If We’re Keeping Score
“When Jesus tried to tell people what the kingdom of heaven was like, He knew descriptions would fail, so He told stories. He said God’s kingdom was like someone who was lost but then was found. He said it was like a tiny seed that grew into a huge tree. In one of my favorite stories, He said it was like a landowner who hired some laborers to work in his field for a day.


The landowner went out around nine o’clock in the morning looking for workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them fifty dollars each for a full day of work. Then he did the same thing at noon and three and five o’clock. At the end of the day, the workers all lined up to get their wages, and the owner of the vineyard gave each one fifty dollars regardless of when they started. When the workers who started in the morning saw the others receive the same amount, they started grumbling.


I get it. I think I’d be a little miffed too. But I love the story because it reminds us grace doesn’t keep track of when you punch the clock. It’s ironic that it doesn’t bother people who know how much they need grace to see it given without hesitation. It only upsets people who think they need to earn grace with their hard work.

Grace doesn’t work if we’re concerned about getting our fair share. God’s grace is infinite and unending. It’s never accurately seen in short supply. Instead of grumbling about someone else getting a little grace, celebrate with them. And be thankful, too, that God gives you just as much grace as you need. Who around you is receiving grace right now? Can you celebrate with them?”

When most of us initially read Matthew 20:1-16 we likely thought to ourselves: “My goodness, that’s not fair. In fact, it’s blatantly unfair that a person who only works an hour gets paid just as much as the person who worked eight to ten hours. It’s just not right.”


But that’s the thing about grace – it’s never fair. That’s Jesus’ point! Grace by its very definition is either, “getting what we don’t deserve” (kindness when we deserve wrath), or “not getting what we do deserve” (not getting the punishment we should receive for our wrongdoings). Either way, grace takes us out of the realms of anything we could call fair. If one is looking for “fair” – or people getting what they deserve – they need to get rid of the Gospel and go back under the Law.

If we think (even in the smallest ways) that salvation is a reward for our efforts, grace will always present a problem for us. In fact, we must either come to grips with the fact that grace is a totally undeserved favor, or live life (even our Christian life) with a habitual chip on our shoulder when it appears that God has graced “less deserving” people more than us.



That’s the other difficult thing about grace: it requires a major readjustment to the way we think, feel, and respond. It means, for instance, wholeheartedly celebrating the unbelievable miracle of one who lived all their life in defiant sin, being brought to repentance and finding rest in Jesus only a short time before they die.

It means seeing the one who came to Christ early in childhood – one who worked hard, and gave, and sacrificed, and faithfully resisted sin, and said no to worldly enticements all their life – not being able to contain the joy they feel when hearing that a “life-long sinner” (as they breathed their last breath) received a glorious welcome into God’s family and will receive an equal share in the wonderful inheritance God has in store for those who love Him! A joy one might struggle to feel if they were keeping score.


Rejoicing in the wonders, while also struggling with the wonders, of God's grace, Pastor Jeff

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