Some Christians believe that the church is part of their leisure experience; as warming as a barbeque on a summer's night, or as refreshing as a dip in the pool at the end of a long day. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is about servants working for a master. And the work He envisaged was not an office job with central heating and air conditioning; it was labouring hard in a vineyard.
 
The work to which the Master calls us has an urgency. The harvest is ripe and needs to be brought in. No grape can be left to wither on the vine. And so the Lord calls workers to labour. They were not volunteers but each one was individually called to the work. As the day went on, still more labourers were called to assist. The Master promised to pay what was fair: one denarius was a standard wage for a working day and that was agreed with those who started early. The others were simply promised a fair wage ... and they accepted the employment on that basis.
 
The Master was concerned that some people were just standing around unproductively. They did not know how to get themselves into His employment but when they were offered the work very late in the day they took it gratefully, even though they had little prospect of much remuneration. The prospect of working for that Master was attractive - some for the money and some for the privilege.
 
God's kingdom is not about my comfort and self-indulgence, but my obedience and His glory. The reason that work is hard is that there is always resistance. The work of the kingdom is against the resistance of the world, flesh and devil; and often involves suffering. Nevertheless, the Lord calls us to work for Him - to obey His instructions, to grow His kingdom, to deny ourselves and follow Jesus. The Lord alone knows what He will give to those who are faithful. C T Studd, the British cricketer and missionary pioneer wrote, "Only one life, t'will soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last."