A Message I Hold Dear to My Heart....

Hi Everyone! I know, still no new pictures and our garage is done and everything, you'll just have to keep on waiting!!! So, last Sunday's message at Church is still with me (PTL) and I really want to share it, I just took some quips, so to read the whole message please go onto this webpage http://www.riverglen.cc/ . I hope you get as much out of it as I have....

the following message is by:Ben Davis, Riverglen Christian Church based on a parable in
Matthew 20

As we grow up we discover…

Life isn’t fair academically. It comes easier for some people.
Life isn’t fair athletically. Some people are just gifted.
Life isn’t fair professionally. Some people get better opportunities.
Life isn’t fair relationally. Maybe your parents favor one of your siblings over you. Maybe your parents were absent or abandoned or abused you. And there was nothing you could do about it. That doesn’t seem very fair does it?
Life isn’t fair when it comes to health.

Maybe you inherit a health problem. Heart disease runs in families. And your heart is not as strong as it needs to be for someone your age. You’re penalized for something you inherited. You didn’t deserve it.

And life isn’t fair financially.
Two people work equal jobs, one gets paid more than the other.

Or maybe you get laid off from work, or your spouse leaves you, and you get left holding the bag financially.

#1 When life seems unfair – be grateful for God’s generosity

#2 When life seems unfair - trust God’s character

In other words, God is in charge. He permits us to live in his vineyard. He is the ruler. He is sovereign. He is not accountable to us.

And so he takes it personally when we gripe and complain and envy what others have.

We’re saying –

· “God you owe me a break.”
· “God I can’t trust you.”
· “God you’re not doing a very good job of running the vineyard.”

But God is doing a great job.

Life on earth will never be completely fair, but that’s because of our sin, not God. God does the best he can with he has to work with right now.

And someday in heaven he will make all things right.

#3 When life seems unfair – participate in God’s mission

When people accept God’s grace, they feel excited and lucky and blessed, and they want to help more people find their way into the vineyard.

Some of you may know Gregg Wannshenider.

He is back with us on summer break from college in Illinois.

Gregg is blind. Blind since birth. 29 years old.

This past week Gregg led a small group of kids each night at summer spectacular. Some of them are pictured with him.

Summer Spectacular is our big outreach for kids.

I talked with Gregg this week. He told me his story. And I said I might use you as an illustration in the message this Sunday. He asked me what I’m talking about this Sunday. I said how life seems unfair. And I asked him do you ever feel like life is unfair? Do you ever get down?

Without hesitation he said no. He said I’ve only known blindness. He said, “The first face I will ever see is the face of Jesus Christ and that’s exciting to me.”

He doesn’t sit around and complain even though he faces challenges every day.

Greg loves to spend his time volunteering and helping other people find their way into the vineyard.

He is full of excitement about God, and he loves people, and he fully participates in God’s mission.

That’s the kind of person I want to be.

That’s the kind of church God wants us to be.

Life may seem unfair right now, but I don’t think we would it any other way, because Christianity is much more than fair, it goes way beyond fairness, and gets into the realm of grace and forgiveness and mercy and adventure.

At the end of the parable, Jesus says the last will be first.

I think he means we deserve to be last, but God treats us first.