Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

This parable in Luke 20:9-19 does a good job of reminding me that everything we “have” on this earth does not belong to us. The ground that we walk on can be considered “rented” in the eyes of God. An easier way for me to comprehend this parable is to relate it to the Parable of the Servants in Matthew 25:14-30. On one end of the spectrum, The Parable of the Servants shows us that when we are so afraid of losing a tangible gift from God, we never see its full potential because we are not letting our gift work for Him. And on the other side, the Parable of the Tenant shows us what happens when we are gifted a grand opportunity and we inappropriately take advantage of the gift that has been given by forcibly taking more.

In these parables, we see two of the most common human errors that we commit, fear and greed. The latter can take effect when we find comfort in bounty. Our definition of comfort collectively as a society has drastically changed since this parable was written. Real comfort is the Spirit of God overfilling your cup, not a material earthly possession. God is the Provider and will always give us what we need. Where we stray from His path is by overstepping what God has given us and beginning to take what we believe is ours.

We can sometimes misinterpret what God meant when He promised to give us an abundant life by following Him, and I think this parable is proof of that. Abundance in the eyes of God is not material and of the earth, but spiritual and of Him. He is the well of living water and through Him and only Him our abundance of life can be found.

Reflection:

• Prayer: Lord, remind us to seek Your Word and Your Spirit above all things. Show us when we are greedy or fearing, and remind us that You have promised us abundant life only when we turn to You.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Be Grateful

By: Todd and Cynthia Kilbourne

In Luke 20:9-18 Jesus tells us a parable (or a story to illustrate a spiritual lesson) about an owner of a vineyard who rents out his vineyard to tenant farmers. When the vineyard produces its crops, the owner sends his servants to get some of the fruit. However, the tenant farmers beat them up. Three times the owner sent his servants and three times the farmers beat them. Then he sent his son (or heir) whom he loved, and the farmers killed the son.

Does this sound familiar? This story represents God and all He has created, and He asks us to care for it and to give back to Him our first fruits. Good fruits are the qualities that we have because we are grateful for what He has done for us. Galatians 5:22-24 tells us what the fruits of the spirit are: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

We can show God how much we love Him by acknowledging that everything is His and taking good care of the things He created – people, earth, animals, everything! So don’t be like the tenant farmers who took from God and didn’t give anything back to Him. Be joyful and appreciative of all that He has done and will continue to do to supply all we need when we honor Him.

• Prayer: Dear God, thank You for everything You have given us. Thank You for family, friends, food, and the earth You created as our home. But most of all, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for sending Your Son to die for us and rescue us from our sins. Help us not to forget how much You love us and how much You want to have a relationship with us through Jesus. Amen.