28 Days of Gratitude: Day 8
“So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more… they began to grumble against the landowner.” (Matthew 20:10-11)
Today, we’re looking at a group of disgruntled, complaining workers that are featured in one of the infamous parables of Jesus. In this story, which is found in Matthew 20:1-16, a landowner hired four different sets of day laborers to work in his vineyard, and they all began their workday at four different times of the day.
The first group started working at 9 am, the second at 12 pm, the third at 3 pm, and the fourth at 5 pm. When time came to be paid, each of them received the same amount, a denarius, which was a full day’s wage.
Well, the men that began their workday the earliest were angry, and they complained. They felt like they should have gotten paid more than the men that arrived at later times. Their argument was, they had worked harder than everyone, so shouldn’t their compensation be greater?
HOW DO YOU HANDLE IT?
How do you handle it when you feel like you don’t get what you deserve? Do you complain (or grumble quietly within) when it doesn’t seem like the level of acknowledgment, praise, or rewards you receive match your level of work, commitment, dedication, and sacrifice? Is it ever upsetting when people who seem less deserving get the same reward or even more?
In verses 13-15, the landowner insisted he was not being unfair by paying everyone an equal wage. He asked the upset workers, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”
This parable is a picture of the Kingdom of God, and there is a deeper meaning, of course. Jesus was teaching that salvation is not earned; it is a gift that God gives by His grace, and He does this according to His sovereign will. The same grace is abundantly, freely, and equally given to all that follow Christ. No one gets more because they have been a part of God’s family longer.
ENTITLEMENT SPOILS GRATITUDE
Generally speaking, whatever God does for us is a gift. Yet, a sense of entitlement spoils gratitude. By definition, entitlement means that a person believes they are inherently deserving of privileges or some sort of special treatment. They think it is their right, and if they don’t get it, they perceive it as an injustice.
With that definition in mind, it’s easy to see how an entitled mindset might make it pretty hard for someone to recognize how blessed they truly are. Instead of focusing on all the positive things they have been given, entitlement pushes them to nitpick and zone in on what they don’t have and why that isn’t fair.
Jesus wants us to be grateful for the gift of salvation and all His others gifts, because we honestly don’t deserve any of them. We did not earn His goodness, mercy, forgiveness, or favor. To feel entitled is to deny that we are inherently undeserving. That’s what makes grace so amazing. It is unmerited!
Gratitude looks at life in amazement and says, it is only by the grace of God that I am anything and that I possess anything at all.
HOW NOT TO FALL INTO THE ENTITLEMENT TRAP
Entitlement is a form of pride, and it loves to rear its head. We won’t even notice it, unless we consciously and deliberately focus on our mindset and attitude.
How can you avoid falling into the entitlement trap that ensnares so many? Paul said it well in Philippians 4:12-13 NIV: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Be grateful for everything you get, even when you want more. There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious and goal-oriented. It is a good thing to aspire to greatness, to expect positive outcomes, and to aim high. God wants us to do that! However, we get out of balance when our contentment is tied to a specific outcome.
For example, a woman recently wrote into the ministry and said she needed prayer and wanted her request shared on the blog. She was at a good-paying job and could pay all her bills, but she didn’t like her co-workers, she felt like her bosses didn’t really like her or want to see her win, and she thought she should be getting paid even more. She was also stressed out because of the hostile work environment.
She said to me, and I quote, “I need prayer to be more grateful. I know I’m blessed, but I have a hard time focusing on what’s right because I feel like so much is wrong, and I deserve better.”
She wanted prayer so that she could be released from that stronghold of entitlement. I prayed for her and was glad she recognized her need to be more grateful.
We all do.
GOD WANTS US TO BE CONTENT
Contentment is a state of peaceful happiness and satisfaction despite wanting more or better. When you are content, you still work hard toward your goals and believe things will get better. However, as you wait for the desired outcome, you are still able to enjoy your quality of life, and you remain grateful for whatever portion that God, in His infinite grace and wisdom, chooses to give you.
God wants us all to be content and not entitled. When we remain grateful where we are on our way to where we want to be, God sees that, and He delights in it.
It’s not easy every day. In our humanness, we struggle, and that doesn’t make us bad. It makes us normal. Paul was content, but he told us something key: he couldn’t be that way on his own.
He said, “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”
And so can you.
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT
In your journal today, write down:
One thing you are grateful for about your present circumstances (At school, work, ministry, relationships, home life…)
One way life could be worse for you were it not for God’s grace.
One way that getting less than expected (or some other struggle) is building character in you.
One way God has blessed you today.
A time you should have failed, but God stepped in and helped you succeed.
Now, let’s pray.
God, thank You for Your grace. I don’t deserve any of Your blessings, so I am grateful for all You have done. Please help me not to be entitled but to express my gratitude always. It is my heart’s desire to be content, even as I believe and expect You to do more and greater things for me in the future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
What Is the 28 Days of Gratitude Series Based On?
This gratitude series is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT, which says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
In my time spent with the Lord, He dealt with me about how we have a tendency to focus on our issues, problems, challenges, and difficulties, but we are not necessarily intentional about focusing on His goodness. Failing to meditate on His works forces us into a cycle of complaining and blinds us to the amazing ways He reveals Himself on a daily basis. In all circumstances, let us be more grateful.
What do I need to participate?
To participate in this series, you will need a notebook and a journal, because it requires writing some things down. In whatever journal you choose—and it doesn’t need to be anything fancy—daily, you will write down the Scripture of the day.
The featured verse will highlight a complaint from the Bible to help you see that, throughout history, others have struggled just as you do. Yet, God desires that we be grateful. In your journal, I would ask that you write the verse you see featured on the Daily Cup blog each morning, then jot down 5 things for which you are grateful.
5 is the number of grace, so you will be focusing on the grace of God and how His mercy has been evident in your life, even during rough times. At the end of each post, 5 suggested thing to write about are listed.