Be content

Communion – Bobby Brown
James 1:1-12
You will go through trials and tribulations. Perseverance is a duty and we will all go through it. We as Christians will have to persevere.

Preaching – Forest Versele
Reminder of NIU shootings, and a disciple Gayle fell to the gunman. Keep the families in our prayers and the shooters family as well. By faith we must move on. God can and will get us past this. A disciple was born shortly after the shootings, one leaves another comes in. All our services will be in our new building. 2222 Wildwood road. First service there this Wednesday.

Mat 19-20
Bill Borden did some radical things for Christ, he gave away 40M to church’s here and overseas. Check out this story. We need to question is this a life worth living? Do we truly value giving it all away for God? No reserve, no retreat, no regret.
Looking at Mat 19:27 We gave up everything, now what is in it for me? Are we willing to sacrifice everything and give it to God? Is sacrificing everything for Christ really worth it for me?
Jesus responds that he will receive more when you die and have eternity setup for you.

Mat 20
This parable is not talking about finding salvation, because no one can work for it. Eph 2:9. Not of biblical rewarding. Jesus is warning his disciples that you have to have the right attitude when working. We are created in Christ Jesus t do good works. If you consider yourself a Christian and you don’t work for the Lord, then you may want to re-evaluate your position. There were no social services back in that day, so this payment was very important to these people. What type of worker are you? Are you setting up a situation with God where I will work if this happens?
Work like your working for the Lord. There is a danger of comparison. We have to watch out to not compare to others. We live in a non-grace lifestyle, you get what you deserve. These men agreed to work for the wage, but they were sour because they didn’t get paid more because they expected more because they compared with others. We tend to condemn ourselves when we compare ourselves to others in their gifts and forget to look at our own talents that God has given us. There is a healthy view of comparison. 2 Cor 8:8 Comparing to the earnestness of others, helps you to realize the potential in your life. We have good news sharing, so we can see that God can work in our lives like they are working in others. It hurts our view of God when we compare to someone else. Why did God pay them last in this parable, so they could see God’s grace toward others and his generosity? Have godliness with contempt 1 tim 6:6.
Second danger is complaining. When the workers eyes were focus on what others received we start grumbling, and we start focusing on the burdens. We start coveting with what others have and we start becoming grumblers. These people were in the state of grumbling. These people see the burdens they see the injustice and don’t appreciate what they have. We start complaining about the certain things we are not. Is the glass half empty or is it half full? Is this our mindset in today? This is an unacceptable way to live. We feel like we are getting a raw deal from God. How greedy is a man for whom God alone is not enough. When people get right with God we should feel like we are showered with gifts. Luke 15:20 is a similar example where the son grumbled over the return of his brother, because he wasn’t getting such great things. It is an honor and a blessing to be right with God. At the end of the day we should just be happy with our salvation. We have to trust that God will give us what is right.

Genesis 18:5 Will he not do right. Free will sometimes make us feel like that is not right. We can approach God with wanting more or we can approach trusting God will take care of us.
We think we can judge and critique our creator. The bible says over and over again we will not completely understand. We may not come humbly and listen, we judge and critique.
Are we envious because God is generous? The land owner paid them what they needed, not what they felt they deserved. Under grace we can’t complain for more than we deserve. I will take whatever you give me God, and be content with what I have. God is generous beyond our understanding, we agree to serve the Lord and nothing beyond that.

Not what am I giving up now, but will it be worth it in the end. God assures us that it will be. We are to be living sacrifices.