Is It Too Late?

There is a hidden gem in Matthew 20. It is the parable of the vineyard. Let us let the text speak:

Matthew 20:1-16
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5So they went.
"He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'
7" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered.
"He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'
8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'
9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'
13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Is it too late to turn this around? It is never too late to turn to Christ. This amazing parable can teach us many things. God has revealed that it is never too late to come to Him. Some are already in the vineyard. They will get their wages. However, God can pay those that only work an hour the same as those that have been working all day. What this text shows is that we are all equal in God's economy. We can either believe that it is too late to go to Him or simply go to Him. We can trust that Christ will take care of us. Have you ever felt like it was too late to turn your life around? Have you ever felt like there is no point of turning to God because of your massive sin debt? What this parable teaches us is that God lets the last be first and last first. He is more concerned with our coming to Him than our sin. He wants us to trust Him first. Secondly, He will teach us how to abide in Him for the power to resist sin. He just wants us to come to Him. God wants us to come to Him no matter what. The world may tell us that it is too late and you might as well give up. What God tells is us is that it is NEVER too late to come to Him. In fact, those that come humbly to God are greater in the Kingdom than those that come first. Why? Jesus says in Matthew 18: 2-4, " He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." When we humble ourselves before the Lord, God considers us great. He who is proud misses the entire picture of what Christ is trying to paint. Let us humble ourselves before the creator of the universe and let Him pay us what He so desires. Christ is more than enough. Whether you wait until the end of your life or surrender now, Christ can reward us as He wishes. He is God. We get the gift of salvation when we accept Christ into our lives. We get all the forgiveness we need. We get all the righteous we need. We are only righteous because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is no greater reward than a life with Christ living in and through us. Let us go to the cross and humble ourselves at the feet of Christ. Let us become like children and come boldly to our perfect Father. All we have to do is come. Brokenhearted, happy, or sad, just come to Him and He will give us rest. He is all we need. Just come.