FRIDAY 3RD MARCH 2017 WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
THEME: DID I NOT ACT JUSTLY?
Numbers 27:1-11, Matthew 20:1-16 (NIV)
Numbers 27:1-11
Zelophehad’s Daughters
1 The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward 2 and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. 4 Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
5 So Moses brought their case before the Lord, 6 and the Lord said to him,7 “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.
8 “Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to have the force of law for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.’”
Matthew 20:1-16
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “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.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These 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.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend.Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Footnotes:
- Matthew 20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.
Some people have the joy of being brought up in a Christian family and coming to faith early in their lives and continuing to life faithfully all their lives. These are like the workers who were hired early in the morning. Others come to faith later in life and some even on their deathbeds. But all will receive the same reward, salvation and Eternal Life in heaven with God.
Let us make sure we don’t miss this reward and let us be thankful to God for His love and Grace. Let us not be envious of anyone else but be thankful to God for the circumstances in which He has placed us.
IJUMAA TAREHE 3 MACHI 2017 SIKU YA MAOMBI DUNIANI
WAZO KUU: JE! SIJATENDA ILIYO HAKI KWAKO?
Hesabu 27:1-11, Mathayo 20:1-16
Hesabu 27:1-11
1 Wakati huo wakakaribia hao binti za Selofehadi, mwana wa Heferi, mwana wa Gileadi, mwana wa Makiri, mwana wa Manase, wa jamaa za Manase mwana wa Yusufu; na majina ya hao binti za Selofehadi ni haya; Mala, na Noa, na Hogla, na Milka, na Tirsa.
2 Nao wakasimama mbele ya Musa, na mbele ya Eleazari kuhani, na mbele ya wakuu, na mkutano wote, mlangoni pa hema ya kukutania, wakasema,
3 Babaetu alikufa nyikani, naye hakuwamo katika mkutano wa hao waliojikutanisha kinyume cha Bwana katika mkutano wa Kora; lakini akafa katika dhambi zake mwenyewe; naye alikuwa hana wana wa kiume.
4 Kwa nini basi jina la babaetu kufutwa katika jamaa zake kwa sababu alikuwa hana mwana wa kiume? Tupe sisi urithi pamoja na ndugu zake babaetu.
5 Basi Musa akaleta neno lao mbele ya Bwana
6 Bwana akanena na Musa, na kumwambia,
7 Hao binti za Selofehadi wananena lililo haki; kweli utawapa milki ya urithi pamoja na ndugu za baba yao; nawe utawapa urithi wa baba yao.
8 Kisha utanena na wana wa Israeli, na kuwaambia, Mtu akifa, naye hana mwana wa kiume, ndipo utampa binti yake urithi wake.
9 Tena ikiwa hana binti, mtawapa nduguze urithi wake.
10 Na ikiwa hana ndugu, mtawapa ndugu za babaye huo urithi wake.
11 Tena ikiwa babaye hana ndugu, utampa huyo aliye karibu naye katika jamaa zake huo urithi wake, naye atakuwa nao; na neno hili litakuwa ni amri ya hukumu kwa wana wa Israeli, kama Bwana alivyomwagiza Musa.
Mathayo 20:1-16
1 Kwa maana ufalme wa mbinguni umefanana na mtu mwenye nyumba aliyetoka alfajiri kwenda kuajiri wakulima awapeleke katika shamba lake la mizabibu.
2 Naye alipokwisha kupatana na wakulima kuwapa kutwa dinari, aliwapeleka katika shamba lake la mizabibu.
3 Akatoka mnamo saa tatu, akaona wengine wamesimama sokoni wasiokuwa na kazi;
4 na hao nao akawaambia, Enendeni nanyi katika shamba langu la mizabibu, na iliyo haki nitawapa. Wakaenda.
5 Akatoka tena mnamo saa sita na saa kenda, akafanya vile vile.
6 Hata kama saa kumi na moja akatoka, akakuta wengine wamesimama, akawaambia, Mbona mmesimama hapa mchana kutwa bila kazi?
7 Wakamwambia, Kwa sababu hakuna mtu aliyetuajiri. Akawaambia, enendeni nanyi katika shamba la mizabibu.
8 Kulipokuchwa, yule bwana wa shamba akamwambia msimamizi wake, Waite wakulima, uwalipe ujira wao, ukianzia wa mwisho hata wa kwanza.
9 Na walipokuja wale wa saa kumi na moja, walipokea kila mtu dinari.
10 Na wale wa kwanza walipokuja, walidhani kwamba watapokea zaidi; na hao pia wakapokea kila mtu dinari.
11 Basi wakiisha kuipokea, wakamnung'unikia mwenye nyumba,
12 wakisema, Hao wa mwisho wametenda kazi saa moja tu, nawe umewasawazisha na sisi tuliostahimili taabu na hari za mchana kutwa.
13 Naye akamjibu mmoja wao, akamwambia, Rafiki, sikudhulumu; hukupatana nami kwa dinari?
14 Chukua iliyo yako, uende zako; napenda kumpa huyu wa mwisho sawa na wewe.
15 Si halali yangu kutumia vilivyo vyangu kama nipendavyo? Au jicho lako limekuwa ovu kwa sababu ya mimi kuwa mwema?
16 Vivyo hivyo wa mwisho watakuwa wa kwanza, na wa kwanza watakuwa wa mwisho.
Kuna watu ambao wamepata baraka kuzaliwa katika familia ya Kikristo, na kuwa waumini wa Kristo wakati bado wana umri mdogo, na pia kuendelea kuamini maisha yao yote. Hao ni kama wafanyakzai walioajiriwa alfajiri. Wengine wanaamini wakiwa watu wazima na hata wazee, hata wakati wanakaribia kufa. Lakini wote wanaoamini Yesu Kristo kama Bwana na Mwokozi wao wanapewa zawadi sawa. Wanapewa wokovu na maisha ya milele mbinguni na Mungu.
Uhakikishe unaamini na unaendelea kumtumikia Mungu. Usiwe na wivu kwa mtu mwingine yeyote, bali mshukuru Mungu kwa maisha uliyopewa.
