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Philip Conley's Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (Matthew 20:2-4 – “God’s Sovereignty and Character”)

Morning Thoughts,

“God’s Sovereignty and Character”

Matthew 20:2-4, “And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.”

This morning, mankind still tries to charge God with fault. Let a terrible natural disaster or human tragedy occur, and people will immediately howl, “Where is God? How could a just God allow this? God’s not fair!” Since the dawn of man’s problems with his fall in the garden, he has been blaming God or unjustly attaching things to Him that do not apply. Conversely, some will hide behind the concept of God’s sovereignty as a shield when trying to attach some level of malevolence or duplicitousness to God’s character. In point of fact, God’s sovereignty and character are perfectly aligned – as are all parts of His nature and essence. There is no disharmony, and God’s nature is completely free of all the imperfections that we are fraught with. Whenever we see things misaligned, the problem lies not with Him above but rather with us beneath. Though I may not have all the answers as to why certain things happen the way they do, I do know that God’s character and all things about Him are completely clear of blame.

Our study verses comprise part of the opening of Christ’s kingdom parable about the master, his vineyard, and the labourers that he hires. The total story tells of all the men the master hired who worked varying lengths of time throughout the day. Upon the workday’s conclusion, the master pays every man his wage, incurs ire and wrath from the labourers, and responds truthfully about where the fault really lies. This parable highlights God’s sovereignty in His kingdom. As verse 15 shows, the master has dominion of his vineyard and what happens in it. While people may not like circumstances and situations, the point remains that the vineyard is the master’s, and he has the authority to do as he will with it. God’s authority and sovereignty over His kingdom and His creation is no different – just a larger scale. However, unlike natural masters with their domains, this Master is always perfect in His dealings. Notice the language conveyed in the study verses.

Verse 2 highlights the fact that the first labourers agreed to a penny a day. This is important as it is this “contract” that they object to at the end. When they see 1 hour labourers receiving a penny ahead of them, they “assume” that they will receive more, because how could they not? We worked more! They worked only a little! Upon receiving the agreed upon contracted amount, they squawk. How dare the master! How could he? He reminds them in Verses 13-14 that no wrongdoing has been done. He reminds them of the contract and their agreement to it. Who is in the wrong? At man’s first blush, he might like to say that the master is wrong for what he did, especially if some of us are on the receiving end of things and think we “deserve” more. However, the agreed upon amount is still the right amount. Anything more would have been a bonus, at the discretion of the master.

Verse 4 highlights that each contract was made for that which “is right.” Successive labourers may not have stipulated amounts like the first ones did, but based on the character of the master, they can be assured that their wage was “right.” This aspect of the parable underscores the fact that no matter how skewed man’s thinking gets, God never wavers in His eye. It remains single and is always right. There is no guesswork, duplicity, or wavering in His mind and spirit. All remains free and clear of any darkness or blight. (I John 1:5)

Looking at the parable as a whole, many commentators and theologians will point this parable in the direction of a Jew/Gentile application. Since the kingdom that Christ established went first to the Jews and then later after His resurrection to the Gentiles, the Jews fit well into the early labourers that worked longer and balked when “first timers” like the Gentiles got to be included as the book of Acts describes. Though this application is a neat and boxed thought, the parable can be broadened much more. Verse 1 says the kingdom is “like” this. So, let us look for this in our lives today to see what we may find. No matter what we find, for it to be right, God’s authority and sovereignty must shine with His character completely blemishless.

Sometimes today we see things that do not align with our idea of what is “right.” We may object that a churchgoer seems enthralled with a worship service while we feel extremely dry. Perhaps they are new to things while we have labored for years or decades. That is just not right! How can they enjoy this while I do not? Truly, God’s kingdom is not like the world in many ways. Though we should have respect for seniority in general, God has blessed many people throughout time to have great experiences though they were not the “senior man” on the block. Should this be objectionable? It is His kingdom. He can do as He pleases, and what He pleases is always right. Consider the young man Timothy as an example. He was a young minister who was a half-breed (Jewish mother and Greek father). Doubtless, he had endured much scorn based on his lineage, and people were apt to despise his age, since Paul was inspired to encourage him not to let that bother him. (I Timothy 4:12) Was it right that God endow this young man with many gifts and talents? Certainly. Is it in God’s purview? Absolutely.

Another example today could be how the Lord blesses different local churches. Sometimes we see local bands withering away, and sometimes we see others have a season of revival. How many times do we look at those scenes properly? People may be apt to think, “Well this group is obviously not spiritual while that one is.” Others may say, “These have younger people than the other.” Yet more might posit, “Well we just need to add _____ to grow ourselves too!” None of these smacks upon the reality of things. No one has all the keys to all the doors to know what occurs and for how long it has been going on. Only the One who knows the hearts of all men can speak with such authority. Therefore, we cannot attach sin haphazardly when we do not know – this was the fault of the 3 miserable comforters in Job. Nor can we say that by putting in something in God’s house He did not establish will fix the problem – that charges God with being a bad Husband to His bride. So, what is the proper mindset and course? We should rejoice with those that do rejoice and mourn with those that mourn. As we see revivals in different places, we should rejoice and thank the Master for His gracious blessing upon His vineyard. As we see dryness in different places, we need to encourage those bands while also fervently praying to the God of the harvest that He would send gentle showers, more labourers, and above all peace and joy to the body.

Looking at things outside the direct lens of the kingdom, we can see from Scripture that God operates within His creation sovereignly and perfectly much like He does His kingdom. Though creation in general does not enjoy and experience the kinds of blessings that His kingdom does, His operating procedure is the same. He has the authority to do what He will, when He will, how He will, and to who He will. He also operates flawlessly as His character will allow nothing else. Therefore, when we see problems occurring in the world today, should we murmur against the Goodman of the house? When we experience good times, should we gloat and say, “Is not this great _____ which I have built?” The answers should speak volumes to us. Problems in the world stem from the fact that even though God made man upright, he still sought out many inventions, while miracles and blessings come as a result of His gracious kindness to His creation. (Ecclesiastes 7:29, Lamentations 3:22-23)

What have you and I agreed with Him to in His kingdom? What have we pledged? What has He pledged? We have been commanded to pledge our heart, soul, mind, and might to His service. We have been commanded to seek that first and foremost in our lives. Does it matter if others are blessed the same or more than we are? Does it matter if we have had to bear the burden of the heat of the day upon our backs? Do circumstances and others things creeping in matter as far as the “contract” is concerned? The answer is that the Lord should get our faithfulness at all times in all seasons under any circumstances. Consider His end. He is faithful to us no matter what happens. He is even faithful to us when we violate our contract to Him. His character shines in refulgent display as He gives what “is right” while also having the authority to do what He will with His own. You could not ask for a better Master friends. Such a Lord is worthy, and looking at my own track record, I am amazed at His faithfulness all the time. Consider. How many of us would be faithful to someone else had they treated us like we treat Him so often. Be honest. Now, reflecting that back, how fervent should we be to Him as we labour for His name’s sake?

In Hope,
Bro Philip

Philip Conley's Morning Thoughts

Morning Thoughts (Philippians 3:14 – “One Standard”)

Morning Thoughts,

“One Standard”

Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

This morning, our culture becomes disjointed based on moral relativity. Everything becomes subjective, and definite lines are seen as abhorrent. When a dedicated disciple of the cross attempts to live according to absolutes as taught in God’s word (whether theological or moral), he will be met with disdain and mocking. Such should not be a surprise, as the Lord Himself was mocked and criticized for the same thing. He even tells us to rejoice when we experience the same as it shows a kinship to our King. (Matthew 5:11-12, 10:25) However, no matter how skewed perspectives and attitudes can become, the beautiful quality about truth is that it shines exclusively to belief or adherence. Whether some, all, or none believe or follow the truth, it is still the truth. Therefore, absolute fixtures in the word of God will endure, because He who gave them endures.

Many times, good minded people get wrong ideas about things, and if we are honest with ourselves, we have things we have to clean out of our minds and hearts, sometimes repeatedly. We are all prone to getting into comfortable ruts, even when those ruts do not align with the truth. One of the biggest perils to a disciple of the Lamb is to think, “That applies to them, but not to me.” That is how the 1st century Pharisee thought, and that leaven is still running rampant today. While we all have different life circumstances, we are all held to the same moral imperatives. Even the wicked are held to these as God will one day judge them for not adhering to His moral code. (Revelation 20:12) Some might posit that a focus group is not as morally accountable as another group. Perhaps one of the greatest examples of this is the realm of ministers vs. non-ministers or men vs. women. Whether male or female, minister or not, we have the same duty and obligation to the Lord, morally speaking. Yes, our roles and duties may vary, but our moral obligation is the same.

Our study verse is found in the midst of perhaps one of the most personal profiles ever sketched for us. Paul “lays it on the line” for us in this passage. He talks about himself in great detail. This is not to show us how much he thought of himself, but rather it shows us just how much this lesson touches him. Lest any think Paul was alone in this. He makes it personal to us as well by telling us to be “thus minded” (Verse 15) and to “walk by the same rule” and “mind the same things.” (Verse 16) As personal as this lesson touched Paul, it should affect all of us equally too. Paul’s point from our study verse is not that he had a standard, whereas ours is different. We all have the same standard. It is “the mar k” of Jesus Christ. Not many marks. Not many subjective standards. One standard. One mark. The mark.

This striving that Paul was working for is one that he honestly knew he had not met. (Verse 13) Though he desired greatly to get there, he knew that he was not there. So what happens when we take this message personally? When we internalize what Paul has said, we then cease the incessant comparisons that we make of ourselves to others. One of the observations that I have made and repeatedly stated over the years is that by looking hard enough you will find two things: 1. Someone doing better than you and 2. Someone doing worse than you. When you make these “finds,” it will not lead to treasure, rather ruin. Finding the people doing better breeds jealousy, bitterness, and contempt. Finding people doing worse breeds pride, laziness, and contempt. None of these finds are conducive to the life that honors the King.

Also, internalizing this lesson urges us to take the two fold approach to how Paul got here. In the previous verse, his one desire (to hit the mark) entailed two things: 1. Forgetting the past and 2. Reaching forward. This two fold act helps us hold on to what we should and let go of what we do not need. Notice how the passage describes Paul’s past. Many times, we need to forget about past failures, of which Paul had many. No doubt he had to let go of the guilt of the past as the murderous Saul of Tarsus. To be a successful laborer in God’s kingdom, he could not be consumed with and obsess about past ruin. While that applies and is certainly true, the passage actually urges us to consider that Paul had to let go of past successes. He was the pride and joy of the Jewish religion. Nobody was better. Nobody. Paul said it specifically about himself. No matter how much you could glory according to the flesh, he had more. Touching the law: a Pharisee. Touching the righteousness in the law: blameless! You need to know what Moses said about something? How about Jeremiah, Isaiah, any other Old Testament lesson? He had the answer. How should this situation be handled according to the law? Over here! Saul has the answer. Want an example of perfect execution and application of these things, look over there at Saul!

What was all that now worth? Nothing! Paul considered all of that to be dung next to the knowledge of Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. (Verse 10) Paul had to get over past success. It could not help him now or going forward to dwell on how good he had ever been. Though I am still a young preacher (some might argue middle-aged by now), I have learned a valuable lesson, rather painfully. When you preach poorly, you have to forget it. When you preach well, you have to forget it. Yes, you learn from mistakes and can rejoice in the blessings of the Lord when they are had, but dwelling on past failures and previous successes will only damper what service can be done today and hinder your next preaching effort. To the disciple in the trenches, remembering past failures can lead to despondency, whereas remembering past successes can lead to pride headed for the pit of destruction.

The second part of this act is reaching forward, which is something that helps us today as well. No, we cannot live in the future any more than we can successfully dwell in the past, but as we learn lessons from yesterday, so can we have hope for tomorrow. No matter what we face and go through, there are things before us that never go away. Jesus is present in all the tomorrows just as He is with us right now. No matter what happens in the future, He will be there, and the resurrection is sure and absolute because the Absolute has already been resurrected as the firstfruits for us. Therefore, to hit the mark that Paul strives for, we need to keep a firm view of Jesus Christ before us, while not looking back and making crooked furrows in our field. Our gaze should be set like a flint upon Him, not giving heed to the doctrines of devils, vain jangling, and profane and vain babblings of this world. All these various and sundry distractions do is get us to either look back with regret or look forward in fear. You ever heard the expression “going around in circles”? When the distractions point us towards both things, we will do nothing but go around in circles never accomplishing anything the Lord has set before us.

By the time Paul gets to “the mark,” he has laid himself “wide open” for us. This lesson should lay us “wide open” to examine how we are getting along. Where is the mark? Where am I? Again, we all have the same standard. It is the same mark? Is it good or bad that I am closer than you are or that you are closer than I am? It is immaterial. Your walk and life is not dictated by me being better or worse than you. Our lives should be dictated in that He is supreme, and I have much work to do. Like Paul, I freely confess, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended…” I am not there yet, and though I have already fallen so short so many times, my desire now is to get closer and closer and closer. If we start holding one another to varying standards for morality and life, we become guilty of being respecters of persons, which ought not so to be. (James 2) My goal is Jesus. Your goal is Jesus. Let us walk together minding the same things, and trying to be steadfast in our love for Him and one another. Let us run with patience, knowing that we have something awaiting us that is enduring and eternal and not become distracted by the vain and perishable things of this old world.

In Hope,
Bro Philip