"Pro Sports And Our Paycheck"

Matthew 20:1-15 ““For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. “About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ “But he 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”

In the above passage the men hired at the beginning of the day are very happy with their wages. But when the people at the end of the day were paid the same as the men who worked all day the men who worked all day were now mad at their wages. I have tried not to read the articles about Labor Negotiations in the professional Sports world but it is hard not to catch the headlines. So here is my take not only on the sports leagues but also what you and I earn.

1 The owner had ever right to pay what he desires – He is the owner - If you don’t like it don’t play or don’t take the job in the first place.

a. Some people are making $ 5,000 dollars for every pitched ball, every thrown pass or every shot at the hoop. Some of you have been hired to do a job and are ecstatic about your pay. But over time you look at what others make and get mad and discontent . That is greed.

2 I have left numerous jobs because either I wasn’t happy or I got fired, Ouch! But in the job I got fired I would not do something immoral to keep the job. In any instance if you aren’t happy with what is going on you can find something else.

3 Now I do believe that unions are good in some cases so that management cannot take unfair advantage of workers The problem with unions are they try to get more money from management without any increase in productively from the workers. There has to be some give and take.

Luke 3:13,14 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

Many a new company has been formed with people who are discontent with their pay or working conditions. I have been both owner and employee and that is why I have been an owner more than an employee Not so much as I was unhappy with my pay as I was that I wanted freedom to go the routé I wanted to take. I guarantee you that if the professional sports players took a 9-5 job they would be content going back to PLAY sports. In some cases you do need to plead your case but for most of the time it may be better to find something else. God a lot of times uses our discontent to move us in another direction. Don’t get mad at the person who initially hired you and you were happy with your pay package. Then after awhile for whatever reason you became bitter. God may be giving you talents to go out on your own.

No matter where you are in life money is not bad, it is the LOVE of money that is evil and destructive. Perspective is an easy thing to lose. Yesterday was a tough day watching some families go through the news of their 16 year old daughter being diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer. Then at the hospital one twin is taken so the other one can live. No amount of money matters at this time. Let us all get back to what is important and that is storing up treasure in heaven, leading others to Jesus and taking care of the families we have. If you want to make $ 5,000 for every pitched ball then go for it but don’t make a game more than a game. People are dying all around us. Let us throw off everything that we think we deserve and know that the only thing we deserve is death. Jesus paid a horrible price not for us to not complain about what we are paid but to look to God and to be content with our DAILY provisions, no more and no less.