Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today we’ll look at God’s inverted view of Kingdom equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.

In Matthew 20:16 (ERV) Jesus promised…
“So those who are last now will be first in the future. And those who are first now will be last in the future.”

Consider…
On June 10, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law. The Act protects against wage discrimination based on sex.

A year later, on July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. The Act prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal.

America has made great inroads in equitable treatment of its citizens. Over the last 60 years, since It legislated fairness and equity, It has developed programs and policies aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. In fact, in looking up facts for today’s encouragement, I saw where Harvard University offers a Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) Leadership Graduate Certificate.

Also in my Google searches I found the following definition. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) refers to organizational frameworks which seek to promote “the fair treatment and full participation of all people”, particularly groups “who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination” on the basis of identity or disability.

Today’s verse follows the Parable of the Vineyard Workers. In the parable, early workers and late workers received the same pay despite the hours worked disparity. According to Wikipedia, the parable has often been interpreted to mean that even those who are converted late in life earn equal rewards along with those converted early, and also that people who convert early in life need not feel jealous of those later converts. And, Tony Evans’ Commentary synopsizes that the parable teaches God is both fair and generous!

Dr. Evans’ synopsis is a perfect description of God’s Kingdom EDIB initiative. When it comes to salvation or the crowns (rewards) given by the King in His Kingdom, He is both fair and generous. He is fair, because He keeps His promises and He is generous because quite frankly none of us deserve what He promises.

In addition to Wikipedia and Dr. Evans’ synopsis of this parable, we see a key point about God’s Kingdom, which is the King is Sovereign! Look at the owner’s response to early workers accusations of unfair pay…
“He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

• Matthew 20:13‭-‬15 NLT

We would do well to always remember that God is God and that He’s Sovereign, which means He can do whatever He wants to do!

It’s amazing that even though we’ve read Ephesians 2:8‭-‬9 (NLT) numerous times, we often still forget we’re saved by God’s grace…
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

It’s also vital that we never forget or minimize that our relationship with God is because it’s what He wanted, and extended the grace to us to receive…
And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it.

• Ephesians 1:5 ERV

Here’s the deal, although we are to show our faith by our works (good deeds), we should never confuse that with deserving to be saved or rewarded because of them. As I think about it further, it is presumptuous of us to think our works are worthy of God’s approval or favor based on our standards of their goodness. Don’t misunderstand, your best matters to God, but He evaluates what we do based on why we do it, not when or how. Thus, God doesn’t focus on the timestamps on our hearts for Him, rather He is focused on keeping His promise to reward those who wholeheartedly seek Him.

Which brings us to today’s encouragement, stop comparing God’s generosity to others with His to you. If He’s blessing your neighbor, recognize it means He’s in your neighborhood. Be thankful that you serve a fair and generous God! And be equally grateful that you’re included in His Kingdom Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) initiative, which was instituted by His grace through His Son on Calvary. In case you’re wondering where that initiative is in the Bible, see John 3:16 (NLT), which says…
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

God’s equity inversion reveals, He isn’t focused on how long you’ve belonged to Him, instead His only focus is that you do belong to Him!

Today’s song is…
I Belong To You
https://youtu.be/2t2E2dF4920?si=xH2Ei7mK-3RyROva

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)