Salem Baptist Church Albert Co Inc

06/16/2026

Pastor Peter's daily reflections.
Hubris.

And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She *said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.”

Matthew 20:21

Hubris is that ability to demand something a thinking person would not be so bold as to do. Hutzpah is another word for it. “Extreme self-confidence or audacity.” John and James put his mother up to this and I expect the disciples had had discussions on who would be in charge under Jesus. These two were getting in their claim first. It goes to show that even though James and John would stand out in a crowd of good people, they still wanted power and all that goes with it. It gives us comfort and also caution, because if they can fail, what does that say about me?

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06/15/2026

Pastor Peter's daily reflections.
Put up to it.

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him.

Matthew 20:20

We watch depictions of Jesus with his disciples, and they are always portrayed as his age, in their early 30s. There is historic information pointing to James and John being young, like teens with John 14-15. Interesting twist as you read this account of these two putting their mother up to as this request. Some of us don’t want any responsibility and others want to be in charge of everything. The question is, what does God want for us?

06/14/2026

It is all upside down.

06/14/2026

Pastor Peter's daily reflections.
You are all equal.

When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’

Matthew 20:11-12

If you look at this in the light of reality, the landowner didn’t have to hire any of them. They had no guarantee of employment, and the situation could have easily been reversed. We who had Christian parents and a church family that loved us, must not look at others who’s life was not like ours and judge their Christian life as inferior if they behave differently than we do, because in the end they answer to God and not us.

06/13/2026

Pastor Peter's daily reflections.
Same for everyone.

When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.

Matthew 20:9-10

This is going to make a storm for the good man who wants to help feed families. Are world is still full of selfish people, just lie it was then. They did a survey asking people if you could guarantee to make everyone prosperous, but make rich people 3 times richer, and the majority sad no. What does it matter what someone else has as long as you have lots of money to keep you comfortable. Turns out it matters a lot, and the rich have to lose some to make people happy. Sad isn’t it.

06/12/2026

Pastor Peter's daily reflections.
Putting the fox among the chickens.

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’

Matthew 20:8

Because this is a parable to show how God saves the undeserving, Jesus told it this way. If the landowner wanted to do a kindness without bringing attention, he would have done it the opposite way. Jesus said, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” He told the story this way so that we would understand that salvation is not about getting it because you are deserving, because no one is. We are all like Paul, who said he was the worst sinner ever, and knowing it makes us more humble is receiving salvation.

06/11/2026

Pastor Peter's daily reflections.
No work done.

And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ 7 They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

Matthew 20:6-7

Work was done at the 12th hour and he was sending them to his vineyard to work. How long would it take to walk there, to find the foreman, to get assigned work? My guess is maybe 15 minutes of work would get done before they shutdown because of darkness. It reminds us of a person who get saved days before they die, or as they are dying from an accident. God in his mercy saves that way many times a day throughout the world.

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06/10/2026

Pastor Peter's daily reflections.
I don’t need you.

And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing.

You know the landowner didn’t need these men because he would have hired enough on the first go. These others were all about mercy. The foreman would have to find something for them to do that wasn’t just busy work. The poor guy would be pulling his hair out if this was real and not a parable. It is like the people who hire a summer student with no skills. They have to find no skill jobs for them to do. I remember a woman like that who was told to file last year’s job files away and she invented a new way of filing, that insured future people would have no chance of finding anything. The landowner knew these people would not produce, even during the shortened hours.

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06/09/2026

Pastor Peter's daily reflections.
Live your life.

When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Matthew 20:2

Most of everything we do is kind of normal, everyday stuff. Those laborers had come on other mornings in the recent past hoping to be hired for some work to feed their family. Today it was this landowner, so in a way, “same stuff, different day.” My point is, they would be happy to receive a denarius to work in a vineyard. It is funny how a fair deal can seem less, when we see what someone else is getting.

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06/08/2026

Pastor Peter's daily reflections.
A child could understand.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Matthew 20:1

The most complicated created thing in existence, the kingdom of God, can be explained with a simple story of a guy who is merciful. How is that possible? My thought is, God made the important layer to us, simple, so a child could get it. Think of a new kid at the school and it all goes badly, but someone takes the trouble to be their friend. It all changed, and you know it did, but the why is an unknown. That’s okay, you are just happy that someone cares.

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