SOME people, and little people, too, work for love, others for money. Happy is the child who takes real pleasure in helping his parents, or those who cannot help themselves! We know a poor Christian woman who is sick, and cannot go her own errands, and we know the little boy who every morning comes to her room to run her errands for her. The kind boy’s face, as he calls each morning at her house, is like a gleam of sunshine to the invalid. A rich person said to the little boy’s mother, “Do let me pay you for your kindness;” but the mother answered, “It is our joy to do this little thing for our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Now the Lord will remember in heaven all those who work for love to Him.
What have we in our picture? A number of men hard at work in the winepress, some treading the grapes, others bringing them from the vineyard to be trodden, and in the front a man gathering them up to cast them into the press. The Lord Jesus tells us how a householder hired men for his vineyard, who were standing about idle in the marketplace. They were like many Christians, for they did not know what to do. “Why stand ye here all the day idle?” said the householder to them, and he sent them into his vineyard to work. If you wish not to be idle, listen to the Lord’s voice, and you shall hear what you are to do, for He has some sort of work to be done by you your own self, and by nobody else in the world. There is much to be done, and few to do it— “Go ye also into my vineyard.”
The householder was very good; he went first early in the morning to the idle people, he went again about nine o’clock, again at noon, and then once more about three o’clock, and every time he went he found idle people. And just as the day was about to close, and when all opportunities for work were nearly over, at the eleventh hour—that would be just before sunset—again the householder went out to the idle people in the marketplace, and said to them, “Why stand ye here all the day idle?” And thus, by his own earnestness for their good, he sent many to work in his vineyard. I think, if he had waited till these idle people had knocked at his gates for work to do, he would not have had many laborers in his vineyard.
The Lord is like this householder; He says to the young, the middle-aged, and the old, who love Him, “Go ye also into the vineyard.” He says this to all who love Him, from early morning till the eleventh hour, for His people are sadly given to the sin of idleness. Idle children are generally in mischief. They get selfish, and grumbling, and quarreling. God has made man to work; and the Lord in His tender grace bids us work for Him.
Now when the day’s work was over, the laborers came to be paid. And some thought a good deal of all the work that they had done. They spoke of the burden and heat of the day, and thought that their work was worth a deal of money. Poor foolish men! It was the grace of the householder which was so precious. Why should the Lord allow us the privilege of doing anything for Him? Why should He take the trouble of seeking us, and stirring us up to labor for Him? It is your privilege to work for the Lord; the favor is from Him in asking you to go and work in His vineyard. So these men were quite in the wrong. All received the agreed wage, the Eastern penny, which was a full allowance for a full day’s work; for the lesson taught us is, that it is all grace in the Lord who rewards His people, and does not forget a cup of cold water given to a disciple in His Name.
Some have their thoughts on reward, they are working for the penny; others have their thoughts on their Master, they are working for love. Are you, dear young servant of the Lord, working for the Lord, or are you still standing idle in the marketplace, Satan finding some mischief for your idle hands to do? And if you are working in the vineyard, are you working for love or reward?
The little boy who ran the errand for the poor invalid, teaches us a lesson; for, as his mother said, “We love to do it, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.” Happy are the people of God, who are working in the Lord’s vineyard out of love to the blessed Saviour Who died for them, and Who will very soon take them to His rest!