“The Eleventh Hour”

Unconditional grace is often a hard pill to swallow. Human logic and reason, and our general sense of fairness and equity tell us that whoever does the most good for the longest time should receive the greatest reward. This rationale does not hold true in the sphere of the spirit because God's mercy plays havoc with our sense of justice. Sometimes we are apt to think God is unfair when the “wicked” seem to prosper, and when bad things happen to “good” people. We tend to think Christians who live in sincere devotion to the word of God and His church “deserve” better things than others. The marvelous parable in Matthew, chapter 20 tells of a man who hires workers at different times of the day; morning, afternoon and evening. At the end of the day, the one who worked all day was paid the same as the one who was hired just before quitting time. It seems to us terribly unfair. But the man who hired the worker said, “Look, I paid you what I promised – can't I do what I want with my own money? Or are you just envious because I am generous?” So God says to those of us who grumble about those “other” people “Are you envious because I am merciful?”

In God's reality the soul who makes an eleventh hour death bed confession is welcomed to heaven as surely as the one has believed his entire life. From the cross Jesus opened the gates of heaven to a penitential criminal whose life was filled with darkness with the promise; “Today you will be with me in paradise”. The world considered this criminal a dirty, disgusting man, but God saw faith. Somehow, the seed of faith germinated in this non-fertile soil. God is always long-suffering and patient with His people and calls on us to be the same. This course of thought is foundational in scripture; “ …He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matt.5:45

Time after time God showed mercy to his people rather than wrath, even though time after time they turned away and did not keep their part of the covenant. Even the Old Testament prophet Jonah was incredulous when God relented and did not destroy the wicked city Nineveh because the people repented of their sin. God is always gracious and merciful, and knows the seed of faith does not germinate or manifest itself uniformly in time or action. That is why Jesus warned us not to judge the heart. We are not privy to the interior of the soul and the rate of faith germination. It's been said we might be shocked on judgment day by who we see in heaven – and who we don't see.

To judge inner righteousness is really a form of idolatry as it presumes to know the things God alone knows. We, as redeemed sinners, must always retain a merciful and gracious attitude toward other lost sheep. Jesus taught the principle of mercy by using the example of the Good Shepherd who leaves the flock to search for the lost one and rejoices when he brings it back to the fold: “…there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents then over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:7 Even on the cross, he prayed for the forgiveness of his tormentors. His life and actions demonstrated the very personification of unconditional grace, mercy, and peace.

Seed teaches us that the magic moment of germination is not ours, it belongs to God alone. We cannot tell the exact moment a sprout will push up from the soil. Faith is not measured - neither in time nor volume, it either exists, or it doesn't. The one who receives faith at the eleventh hour has missed the joy of a life lived intimately with Christ, but is, by the blood of Jesus, declared a worthy citizen of heaven and a beloved child of God.

Dear Lord – Thank you for that seed of faith which was planted in me, which sprouted, which is growing. Amen

Days to Germinate – The evaluation of how long it takes to sprout the seed. Each lot# may have variables within the lot for germination rate due to different seed sizes or density… this is vital information toward farm productivity.