A Special Treasure to God
By Don Ruhl
God told Moses, who would then tell Israel, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine” (Exo 19.5).
How could Israel be a special treasure to God? Simply obey His voice and keep His covenant. Was that too much to ask? Remember He delivered them from Egypt and they were headed for the land of Canaan where they would have their own land, and become a nation.
How can we be a special treasure to God? Simply obey His voice and keep His covenant. Is that too much for God to ask of Christians, whom He has redeemed from their sin and the consequences of that sin, and then gives us the promise of heaven?
The Danger of Assuming
By Don Ruhl
A landowner hired workers at different times of the day and then paid them all the same. Even the first ones hired received the same as the last ones hired, “And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius” (Matt 20.9, 10).
Why did the first workers assume they would be paid more? They saw the last workers who worked less and received the same wage promised to the first workers. So, the first workers assumed they would get a raise.
What created their assumption and eventual complaint? They compared their wage with someone else’s wage. If the last workers had received much less, then the first workers would not have assumed a raise. They would have been content with what they received. However, they made an agreement with the landowner and that should have settled the matter.
See what happens when we assume things we should not and what happens when we compare our lives with the lives of others?