For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Matthew 20:1

The kingdom of Heaven as come to us. Jesus came to us. The fullness of God visited the earth revealing to us the heart of God. With His disciples, Jesus gives a parable of what working for Him looks like. It’s interesting that this story points out people who are idle. Those in the marketplace waiting for work. Standing around waiting for hire. Uninvolved with anything of worth. This is who the the Lord goes to and calls. Idle men and women. Perhaps they were doing much but what they were doing had no eternal significance, nothing of true worth. But the Worthy Man calls and they follow. He says, ‘ I have work for you. I have something for you to do. Come, work in my vineyard.’

The beauty of this story Jesus tells is the generosity of the Master. His payment does not fluctuate based on the amount of time His hired workers labored. The emphasis is not on their work so much as it is on His call. Not on how long they’ve been in the field but on the Master’s unbiased generosity. What a picture of us. We have been called by name to be a laborer for God’s kingdom. Called out of idleness and into this most meaningful work available.

Did you know that God has work for you to do? He has prepared a portion of His vineyard for you to work in. It has your name on it. It’s a good work that will outmeasure in joy and fulfillment any other work this world offers. In His mercy, the Holy Spirit calls out to those who are fit and ready at dawn, and those who are worn down and there at the last minute. He calls out to those looking for Him and those running from Him. His voice is pregnant with blessing. That blessing appoints the hard-working son and the prodigal. The first to rise and the last to show up. How scandalous to a culture that demands fairness.

We hear it said so much that I fear it has lost its wonder. The God of Heaven has a specific work for you to do. Hear His voice. Be a vessel for honorable use (2 Timothy 2:21). A vessel useful and ready for what He calls you to. Go out into the vineyard of His choosing and worship Him there. Whether it is a lowly kind of work or a place of honor. It does not matter. There is no favoritism (Ephesians 6:9). Whatever is right, He will give to you (Matthew 20:4).

The point is: The worth of your work is not so much in what you do but in the God who calls you to it. Experience the blessing of working for someone who is actually worthy of your work. Work from the overflow of Christ’s generosity and goodness, trusting that wherever He calls you there is meaningful work He has prepared for you.

• Want to dig in more? Read Matthew 20 and James 2.