Matthew 20:13-16
"But he answered one of them, 'I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.' So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
Yep! That's me in the picture above when it comes to bacon, no exaggeration! Hot, warm or cold, I'll eat bacon whenever and where ever it's offered. Just call me the "Baconator!"
So, it's no surprise that I fry up a batch every so often. Not too often, mind you, as I don't desire it to become a daily thing, but often enough to get my fill of that smoky, crunchy, salty goodness.
What I've noticed over the countless times I've fixed bacon, is how long it takes for the first strips placed in the pan to cook to the appropriate color and crispness. It seems like an eternity!
But when fresh strips are added to the pan, they are quicker to reach the required level of "done."
As you've probably already deduced, it's the fat rendered off, slowly but surely, by the initial bacon strips that aids in the faster frying of the newcomers. Note the bacon on the left side of the pan in the next photo. It is added probably about seven or eight minutes after the four starters in the center, but it appears almost as done as they are!
Almost seems unfair to the pioneers who did most of the work in readying the pan, doesn't it?
Yet, in the parable of the vineyard workers, Jesus turns our human conception of fairness on its head. Whether we learn about God's love and grace as a child on our mother's lap, languishing in our last days, or at any point in between, God loves each and every one of us equally. No differentiation. No favoritism.
Just full acceptance as His child.
And like the bacon, which is delightful from first piece to last, so we are delightful to our Father, when we believe in and follow His Son.
Amen!
Please do not mention bacon in your posts as it makes me hungry. Could you not have thought of a parable using broccoli instead? Do you know, if God had told Adam and Eve not to eat broccoli the whole of human history would have turned out totally different.
ReplyDeleteI like your post, though, Martha. And agree with what you say about God's love.
Thank you and God bless you always my friend.
Yes, Victor, I'd have to agree that broccoli would have saved us ages of heartache back there in the Garden. So glad you enjoyed the post, my friend, even if it did make you hungry!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Great application martha. I'm not necessarily a bacon aficionado. I like it on my salad if I can get it. But it goes too far when they talk about bacon ice cream and other disgusting sounding foods. That parable has always found a "home" with me.
ReplyDeleteBill, I think you've nailed the one item on which I would NOT like bacon - the ice cream! Bacon on salad? Now that's a winner!
DeleteSo glad you liked my application to the parable. :)
Love and blessings!
I absolutely love this post!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Linda!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Love this post and Victors comments too. As a side baconator is the name of my granddaughters hog that goes to the fair in 10 days. bye bye baconator! LOL What a neat way you made us hungry for bacon and for God!! Plan to share this post!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the share, Jean; glad you liked today's post! And good luck to Baconator at the fair - hope a blue ribbon is in the offing for him/her.
DeleteLove and blessings!
LOVE this!
ReplyDeleteWell, not so much the bacon part … mine would be peanut butter. But I sure get your analogy. I wonder how many clergymen's sermons would be better received had they substituted 'bacon.' (*smile*)
Lol, Mevely, I wonder that, too! And I do hear you about the peanut butter, as that's another one of my favorite foods. Nothing like a pbj with a glass of cold milk. :)
DeleteLove and blessings!
WONDERFUL analogy, My Friend! Well said!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Thank you, Loralu! Glad you enjoyed today's post. :)
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, once again you've crafted a beautiful word picture. God's economy, I love how He loves and accepts each one of us at any point in our lives. It's hard to grasp how those "death bed conversions" happen--but they do happen and those people are every bit as welcome in Heaven as those of us who have been saved for decades.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, in Iowa there's some sort of bacon festival held each year (think it's in the winter) with lots and lots of BACON--bacon in basically everything. (I've never been have no plans to go.)
Love and blessings!
A bacon festival??? Oh, wow, that sounds like it's right up my alley, Kim!
DeleteAnd yes, those death bed conversions do happen from time to time. If I live to be 100, though, I'll never understand why people choose to shy away from God's love and grace while they are hale and hearty. Still, God loves them, too, and is happy to leave the ninety-nine to claim the one who was lost.
Love and blessings!
Yum, Martha. Though I probably don't love it as much as you! :) My husband loves an old Dutch tradition. So do some of our kids. With his bacon, he has bread dipped in the bacon grease with Karo syrup, an egg, and ketchup on top. It has never appealed to me. I like bacon with toast and eggs. :) I love this truth - "God loves each and every one of us equally. No differentiation. No favoritism. Just full acceptance as His child." Thanks for adding sunshine to my day! Love and blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteTrudy, I don't think I'd like this Dutch tradition of your husband's, but I do set aside bacon grease for Danny when he cooks certain vegetables. It's a Southern thing, for sure!
DeleteSo glad this post brought sunshine to your day, my friend. Yours always shine God's comforting light on mine!
Love and blessings!
That photo is funny! And I can relate. I love bacon too. The smell of it, the taste of it...yum. It's hard to focus on your point when now you have got me thinking about bacon. Just kidding. As others have commented, you make a great analogy. That story is always one that provokes thought and discussion.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you can relate, Galen, as you are a fellow bacon lover. And yes, the story is a provoking one, reminding me of the lesson in the Prodigal Son we see there. The photo was one I couldn't resist!
DeleteLove and blessings!
What a great analogy. I do love me some bacon! :) I want to be grateful for those who have paved the way for me, and to freely pave the way myself for others.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the analogy and bacon, too, Lisa! That's the thought I had - about those who have paved the way for me to make it easier to come fully to God. May we all do the same for others.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, Thanks for giving bacon a spiritual application :) YUM!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I love bacon. But I hate frying it. Recently I started baking my bacon in the oven. It works great. Of course, it doesn't work with your blog post illustration as nicely.
I'm making BLT sandwiches on sour dough bread tonight, as a matter of fact. That was the plan even before your post. lol!
I don't know why I've never thought to simply bake the bacon, Beckie, but if I had, I wouldn't have been able to make this connection to scripture. Your BLTs sound great! Enjoy a simple, but tasty, dinner, my friend.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Ok, you are speaking my language, bacon. Now I have to have blt's for supper, my family will be so happy. Nice post Martha..
ReplyDeleteHappy to know I have another bacon lover in my camp, Betty! Know your family will enjoy their supper even more because of its addition to the menu. Glad, too, that you liked the post.
DeleteLove and blessings!
I absolutely love how you can take the most common occurrence and turn it into the most profound spiritual lesson! I always leave your blog refreshed in spirit, dear Martha!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind words, Cheryl! Yes, the tag line for my blog is "Meeting the Miraculous in the Mundane," and that's precisely what I try to do. God's presence is truly all around us, if we keep our eyes open.
DeleteLove and blessings
I don't usually eat pork products, Martha, but I do make an exception for bacon in BLTs in the summertime when the tomatoes are ripe. I love the "twist" that usually comes at the end of your posts. You lure us in with bacon and then hit us with the Gospel! :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to know the "twist" got to you at the end, Laurie. :) And there's nothing better than a BLT with a homegrown tomato in the summer. Yum!
DeleteLove and blessings!