Generous Farmer

Luke 20: 9-16

When we demand from God we rob him of the joy of generosity. This idea threads its way through a parable Jesus taught. The story is about a farmer who hired out his land to workers and left on a journey that kept him away all summer. At harvest time he sent someone to collect some of the fruit, but the workers refused. Three times the farmer patiently asked to no avail. In a last ditch effort he sent his son hoping the workers would respect him, but they took him out and killed him in a hostile take-over scheme.

The problem here is entitlement. Like the workers, we can easily fall into the trap of thinking that God owes us. When we have spent time and effort we expect payment. That's the way we are. But we must not forget that it is never God who owes us but rather we who owe him. The hymn writer Isaac Watts expressed it this way:

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away—
’Tis all that I can do!

But let us not forget the generosity of God. He loves to bless his children (Matthew 7:11). In fact, he gave us the greatest gift ever given when he gave us his son Jesus. Such a gift can never be deserved. So, let us remember to be grateful. When we stop trying to put God in our debt we restore to him the joy of generosity.