The Mighty Grace of God

In the gospel of Matthew, chapter twenty, Jesus tells "The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard." The link below will take you to a website if you'd like to read it. Also, I will be referencing

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2020:1-16&version=31

Also, I will reference a blog post from September 15 entitled "Never Too Late." It too is about a parable taught by Jesus. Here is the link for that blog post.

http://equippedforbattle.blogspot.com/2008/09/never-too-late.html


Here's the parable in a nutshell. One day there was a landowner who went to hire some workers. Early in the morning he went and hired some men, and promised to pay them a denarius (or a day's wages) for their work. So they accepted and worked for him all day long.


Hours later, the landowner went out again and found workers standing around with nothing to do. So he hired them also, and promised to pay them what was right. Again and again, the landowner went out throughout the day and found people with no work. He sent them into his fields and promised to pay them what was right. He even went out with only one hour left in the work day and found people with no work, sending them into his fields.


At the end of the day he gathered them and paid them for their work, starting with the men hired last. He gave them a denarius, and likewise to the rest of the workers who were hired after the initial workers. When the landowner got to the workers who had been there from the beginning, they expected to get paid more, but likewise got a denarius.


When they didn't get paid more they were offended, but the landowner answered one of them, "Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?"


This story reminds me of the story of the prodigal son. The brother who didn't run away grumbled because the prodigal son was received so warmly; the brother was angry because his father prepared a feast for the son who squandered his inheritance. But the brother missed the point; the lost brother has returned! The son had come back to be a part of the family!


Likewise, the first workers missed the point. They had been doing the work since the beginning, and others joined them as the day went. Some even worked one hour, but the landowner all paid them one denarius. They all received the same generous blessing.


So what right have I to be envious when a prodigal turns back, or when a new brother receives much or more than I have (as if I'm a good judge of that anyways...).


This speaks of the Lord's generosity. And! He has a great heart of compassion. The last workers "deserved" far less money for their work, but the Lord gave them both the work they needed and the money for it. When Jesus fed the five thousand, he did it because they had need. He healed people because they had great need of it. He is a God of compassion and generosity.


And notice, the landowner keeps finding people doing nothing and sending them to work for him. Even with one hour left in the day, he hires more workers. This tells me, just like in the story of the prodigal son, it is never too late. If there's still hours in the day, or days remaining in life, there is still time to serve the Lord. And! The Lord is a great God, filled with generosity and compassion, and you can still reap a great reward.


What keeps us from His rewards is thinking it's too late. "I've already missed out on most of the day... how could I find work now? Would it even be worth it now?"


Keep your eyes peeled; though you may not be actively pursuing the Lord, that doesn't keep Him from coming to you. Even when the prime hours of the day are spent, and you've nothing to show for it, the Lord may come and call on you to do work in His fields. If you have a mindset of, "It's too late now," or, "What's the point? What could I possibly earn in one measly hour," then you will not be able to receive in full what could be yours.


It is never too late. And the compassion and generosity of the Lord extends to and covers even the last hour of the day. This is the mighty God we serve, and that is His mighty grace at work.

Christmas Traditions

If Nancy Drew lived in my house, each year we'd have "the case of the missing wardrobes." Of course, it'd be a boring mystery because everyone in my family would know exactly where they went - under the tree.

That's right, every year at Christmas time a good chunk of my clothes disappear and are opened on Christmas morning. In the mind of us McConnell boys, it doesn't matter whatsoever how small the gift is. However, it still needs an adequate box to be wrapped up in (for the sake of ripping off the paper and making a mess to clean up afterwards). And where else can you find an abundance of box stuffers than your own closet?

I just got done wrapping my brothers present, wrapped carefully in two t-shirts and placed inside a cheerios box. And not the small cheerios box either; it was one of the biggies (thus, it required two shirts). Just think about it... how fun is it to open a present if you can shake it and have an inkling of an idea of what's inside? We prefer to surprise and be surprised if we can help it.

On top of the fact that a big chunk of my wardrobe will be missing by the time I finish wrapping the remainder of my presents, there is another mystery that always occurs at Christmas time - "the case of the missing boxes."

If there's a box, and you need it, the philosophy is put the contents in a tupperware and use the box. Ritz crackers, cereal, oatmeal packets, you name it - we'll find a suitable place for the contents of a box if we think it's just what we need. Remember that cheerios box? I just emptied it's contents into a cereal tupperware container. (the ladies may be thinking "that poor mother..." but she hasn't killed us yet for it!!)

Here's the great thing about this Christmas... It will be my last Christmas at home :) Next year, Hannah and I will have our first Christmas together, and begin our own Christmas traditions. So this year, I will empty my wardrobe to soundproof the boxes, and empty the box of hot chocolate mix to wrap my last present... But as for next year, who knows! I just know that I cannot wait to spend my first Christmas with Hannah as we begin our lives together. And the traditions that come from that will be the dearest to me, even more so than trying to remember if my favorite t-shirt is in the wash or under the tree.

Well, I hope your Christmas is blessed and very enjoyable! I'm going to get back to hunting boxes and wrapping presents before I head to work...

Dr. Gene Sapp

This morning I woke up at a decent hour, and began my day. Somewhere around eight thirty, my father invited me to breakfast with him at IHOP (International House of Pancakes, you gotta love pancakes...). Of course, I accepted - breakfast is the best meal of the day!

As we were heading out the door I got a phone call... it was my dentist. I had forgotten my eight o'clock appointment! I had left myself notes about it, and remembered it even yesterday... just not last night when I set my alarm... Thankfully we were able to reschedule my appointment for as soon as I got there, which meant rescheduling breakfast for later.

(But that's okay - lunch may not be as good as breakfast, but it still stops the rumbly in my tumbly)

I've been going to the same dentist since I was a wee child; his name is Dr. Gene Sapp. I've had many blessed memories... like when he was pulling one of my teeth, and accidentally crushed it. Before you think "OUCH!!!!...", just let me assure you my tooth was quite dead - its root was just still deeply embedded in my gum, and it refused to let go. The nerves were non-functional and completely, utterly, and totally dead; but it's still kinda scary when a tooth is crushed into three pieces in your mouth.

In addition to fun memories, the same lady has been cleaning my teeth there for ever since I can remember. When I was young, I just remember her cleaning my teeth, applying the flouride, and saying "bla bla bla bla..." the whole time. But as I've gotten older, I've learned that she is both a mother and grandmother; I've learned about her involvement in her church. And she has likewise gotten to know about me, such as what I'm studying in college, ect...

And of course, when the dentist comes in to check over everything, he has always had a smile, wit, and laughter. He was a family man, who took good care of his wife and children. He was very involved in their lives, and I always looked forward to the end of the visits when he'd come in.

Today was the first time in a dentist's office where Dr Sapp has not been there. Just last month he went on to be with the Lord after a fight with cancer. He was a man who loved his family, and his patients. His legacy still goes on, and the dental hygienists who work under him still carry that warm personality that characterized him. I do miss him, but in all aspects of his life, his testimony echoed strongly of his love for his family, for people, and for the the Lord.

When I started writing this blog, I hadn't meant to write a 'eulogy.' I wanted to write about the importance of relationships, and I did just that, I think. I know his family will never doubt that he loved them. And people who knew him would never doubt it either. If there's anything in life I sure don't want to miss out on, besides walking daily with my Lord, I do not want to miss out on the opportunities to build relationships with people. They are of greatest value, for both this life and the next.

And I truly believe what I'm about to say... If anyone has neglected relationships in their lives, it is never too late. It might take some work, or a lot of work depending on the situation, but I truly believe any relationship can be restored by the power of God. It may take sacrifice, but the blessings that come from it would be far greater than anything else you'd find on this earth. Treasure people, you will never regret it.

My Brother, Jimmy

Last night I had a neat encounter with an individual named Jimmy. I was on break at work, and walked outside when I noticed a homeless man sitting on the patio. After some internal struggling, I began a conversation with this man.

To be honest, I must have looked nervous, because his first words were, "Sir, I haven't done anything wrong!" (I was wearing a white button-up, or button-down, shirt with tie) So I had to quickly let him know I wasn't kicking him off the patio; I just wanted to talk. Actually, I wanted to talk to him about Jesus.

As it turns out, this man knew Christ, and loved the Lord deeply with all of his heart. It was a joy to spend my break and both of us talk about the Lord, and talk about the upcoming generation. His heart was for the upcoming generation to have the scales off their eyes, that they might see the Lord, that they might turns around and get some sense.

This is a brief description, but though I didn't share the message of the cross with him, that's all we talked about. Even though my purpose was to witness to him, instead we both were edified and enjoyed fifteen minutes chatting on the patio.

To be honest, it seems each and every time I am prompted to witness to someone, they end up already knowing the Lord. But that doesn't make it wasted opportunities. Other times I've had the blessing of still sharing and shining some light, and even just encouraging others to share the gospel with others. And I'm so glad I did stop and talk to this man, because we were both encouraged and joyful by the time we had to part.

I have no idea if this will keep happening everytime; I hope to get to share the blessed truth of the gospel with someone who doesn't already know the Lord, but I sure enjoy each and every time I run into a brother in Christ. Every time it has been a tremendous blessing for me - I hope to run into Jimmy again.

Something to Celebrate

It's always fun when it comes to the end of the semester. You've worked your tail off the whole year, and you work off your tail for the final exams. And just like many precious things, they only last but a moment. Thankfully they've come and gone, and I did alright. I passed with flying colors, and was very excited when I finally got the results. (I had to wait a full week after one exam before the professor finally posted my final grade for the class... oh the impatience of me...)

And there's more to celebrate still. The Charkosky's (sp?) were able to bring their beautiful baby to church today - she's precious. All the women-folk were very anxious to see her and hold her. To be honest, I myself can't wait to get to hold her either, but I may just have to wait a while for my turn :)

And yet more to be thankful for and celebrate. Technology is such a blessing. Normally in order for Joe Ewen to be able to minister to the body, he has to fly all the way across the Atlantic from Scotland to see us. But thanks to technology and skype, he was able to pray over people in front of his computer, and thereby encourage and edify the body. God is just that big, to minister to people when the man of God praying for them is across the ocean. What a mighty God we serve!

I'm going to stop here for the day, but there's so much in life worth celebrating. There's so much to be thankful for, and I hope everyone is able to see all the wonderful things in life amidst the hard times. So what if it's cold outside; so what if it's cloudy and gloomy this winter. How else are we going to get the snow we all hope for?

Are You Washed in the Blood?

Here is a wonderful song that has been on my heart lately. There have been other great "gospel classics" that have been on my heart, such as Glory to His Name, but this one has especially been lingering in the air. Here's the words.

Are You Washed in the Blood?

Verse 1:
Have you been to Jesus for the cleasing pow'r?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Chorus:
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are you garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Verse 2:
Are you walking daily by the Savior's side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

(Chorus)

Verse 3:
When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

(Chorus)

Verse 4:
Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb.

(Chorus)


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These words are powerful to me. The all-important question for us is simply, "Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?" There's nothing more important, and there's no other way for our souls to be cleansed. It's only by the blood of Jesus that we can be made clean.

And for us who answer, "Yes, I have been washed in the blood of Jesus," are we fully trusting in His grace? Are we walking daily with Jesus? Have we laid aside those garments that are stained with sin and taken His spotless robes?

If we can't answer this question with certainty, we need to figure out why. When the Bridegroom comes, if we are not dressed in His spotless robes the Lord says that we will be bound hand and foot and tossed into darkness. The Lord has given us opportunity to accept Him as Lord; He has given us opportunity to place our faith in His death on the cross for our sins, and that is the only way to be made clean. Are you washed in the blood?

The Lord says, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" (Romans 10:9-13)

A Quote for the Day

Here is a quote from one of those "flippy" calandars with verses and quotes...


"There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations."
-Washington Irving