January 15th, 2026
Thursday, January 15th
Borrowed Keys
By: Sheila Sonon
Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard owner who plants, protects, and prepares a beautiful vineyard, then leases it out. The agreement is simple: take care of it and give the owner his share when harvest comes. Easy enough… until harvest day arrives and the tenants start acting like they lost the owner’s phone number—and maybe the deed too.
Imagine RealLife as that vineyard. Pastor Todd is the one who planted it—answered the call, tilled the soil, and handed over the keys so others could help steward what God was growing. The building, the people, the mission—it’s all been lovingly established.
Now here’s where it gets uncomfortably relatable.
The tenant farmers? That’s us. Somewhere along the way, we forget the vineyard isn’t ours. We rearrange things. We decide which rules apply. We ignore the emails (also known as Scripture and conviction). When God sends “servants”—a sermon that hits too close, a friend who lovingly calls us out, or a nudge from the Holy Spirit—we sometimes respond with, “Thanks, but we’re good.”
Jesus is pointing to the shocking truth: sometimes we have a habit of rejecting God’s authority when it threatens our control. We like the benefits of the vineyard—community, blessing, grace—but struggle with accountability.
The parable reminds us that faith isn’t about possession, position, or preference. It’s about stewardship. We’ve been given borrowed keys, not ownership papers.
The good news? God still invites us to bear fruit. When we surrender control and remember whose vineyard we’re tending, joy grows, grace multiplies, and the harvest becomes something beautiful—for Him and for us.
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Luke 20:17)
Food for thought - we stop dodging our Heavenly Father—and start offering Him our very best fruit.
Borrowed Keys
By: Sheila Sonon
Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard owner who plants, protects, and prepares a beautiful vineyard, then leases it out. The agreement is simple: take care of it and give the owner his share when harvest comes. Easy enough… until harvest day arrives and the tenants start acting like they lost the owner’s phone number—and maybe the deed too.
Imagine RealLife as that vineyard. Pastor Todd is the one who planted it—answered the call, tilled the soil, and handed over the keys so others could help steward what God was growing. The building, the people, the mission—it’s all been lovingly established.
Now here’s where it gets uncomfortably relatable.
The tenant farmers? That’s us. Somewhere along the way, we forget the vineyard isn’t ours. We rearrange things. We decide which rules apply. We ignore the emails (also known as Scripture and conviction). When God sends “servants”—a sermon that hits too close, a friend who lovingly calls us out, or a nudge from the Holy Spirit—we sometimes respond with, “Thanks, but we’re good.”
Jesus is pointing to the shocking truth: sometimes we have a habit of rejecting God’s authority when it threatens our control. We like the benefits of the vineyard—community, blessing, grace—but struggle with accountability.
The parable reminds us that faith isn’t about possession, position, or preference. It’s about stewardship. We’ve been given borrowed keys, not ownership papers.
The good news? God still invites us to bear fruit. When we surrender control and remember whose vineyard we’re tending, joy grows, grace multiplies, and the harvest becomes something beautiful—for Him and for us.
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Luke 20:17)
Food for thought - we stop dodging our Heavenly Father—and start offering Him our very best fruit.
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February
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April
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