Son #1 and Son #2

""What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' "'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go""- Matthew 21:28-30 (NIV).

I can identify with the second son. We say yes, yes, Lord...send me. We truly want God to use us for His kingdom, but many times we put conditions on His requests, whether we like to admit it or not: it's not convenient, I don't have the resources, I'm tired, that's not my gift, I just don't enjoy doing that sort of thing. God asks you to do something and your reasoning begins to wrestle with your spirit. You know, deep down,what is right, but you just don't want to have to do it, so you resolve that you'll do the next thing God brings your way. Jesus asked, "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" (v.31a). Which one of the two do you want to be? It's alright not to want to do the work; but, it's not alright to be disobedient when God asks you to go and work. Our Triune God said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Loving God boils down to being obedient to God. Though Jesus asked the Father to remove the cup of suffering He was about to endure on the cross, He was still obedient. We can pray for God to remove something in our life, but it should always end with us being obedient. Where has God asked you to go and work today? Better question: Are you going to go?

Gaining Everything

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs"- 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV).

Love is one of many emotions, but love is much stronger than all of them, even hate (v.13). We can have great gifts and multiple talents, but without love we are just noise; we gain nothing (v.1-3).  First Corinthians is called the "Love" chapter of the Bible, and rightly so. Love is listed as the first of the fruits of the Spirit. It's is not always easy. There are some very hard people to love out there: they misuse your love, refuse your love, deny your love. Jesus knew very well how that felt; yet, to the end He loved those who mistreated Him, even asking God to forgive them for their hatred toward Him. His love conquered! Now we are commanded to love. Once, when asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22-37-40). Let that sink in: All things hang on love. Without love, we gain nothing. With love we gain everything!

Living Prepared

"Be very careful, then how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is"- Ephesians 5:15-17 (NIV).

Every opportunity is either an opportunity gained or an opportunity lost, never to be offered again. Time rolls on toward the inevitable end, where we meet the Lord face-to-face. With each seized opportunity we gain a measure of wisdom, of understanding, of what the Lord's will is. "Be very careful" should not be overlooked or under esteemed. It's not just "Be careful," it reads "Be VERY careful." Warning signs are throughout the Bible, similar to traffic cones, signs, and blinking lights. We know what happens if we ignore them...we wreck! We pay close attention when driving; we need to pay just as closely, no, more closely, to the way we live. Be prepared to act. Like the parable of the ten virgins waiting for the groom. Only five were wise, and prepared, for His arrival. The other five, unwise and unprepared, ended up facing a closed door and the Lord telling them He did not know them. They could no longer come to the wedding of the Lamb (Matthew 25:1-10). They missed their opportunity. Where do we start to gain wisdom? Delve into the Word, commit it to memory, and live prepared. 

Closing the Door

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you"- Matthew 6:6 (NIV).

We can pray anywhere and anytime, but prayer needs to be in isolation with the Lord. Closing "the door" can be interpreted as closing the door to all outside interference. The doors of our mind creak open during prayer time: plans for the day, past events, conversations, problems, even what we want to eat; the closed door opens and our focus is no longer on the Lord. We have to close "the door" to other things when we pray. It's a discipline that gets better with practice. Praying about things, big and small, that are on our mind is different: God is the focus, He is involved. It's when we've opened "the door" that we're basically no longer praying. God is patient and merciful. I usually ask His forgiveness and return my focus to Him, closing "the door" once again. Remember...practice makes for a better prayer life and a stronger relationship with the One who wants to hear our every thought. That's the best reward of all.    

Passionate Living

"If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles"- Matthew 5:41 (NIV).

Sarah Palin said, "Today, push yourself! Exhaust yourself. There is great joy in finding out what you're made of! God blesses your effort, especially if you go the extra mile." We hear we are to give our personal best, but it comes at a price. We have to draw upon self-discipline, perseverance, endurance, and inner strength. No one can help us with this. We have a power source from the Holy Spirit within us, but He is not going to make us keep going. He will empower us, but only if we move forward. That extra mile does not come easy, but a day finished well is a victory and a personal testimony to the faithfulness and strength of the Holy Spirit working within us. Margaret Thatcher said, "Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do and you've done it." You even find yourself listing off what you've accomplished through your suffering that day. Listen to what the tireless Apostle Paul had to say: "We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us" (Romans 5:3-4). Find out what you're made of; let your day be a day of passionate living. God will bless you for going the extra mile. 

Pay Offs

"God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them"- Hebrews 6:10 (NIV).

When we became Christ-followers, we became servants. In a world that values accomplishments, people seek validation and praise for the work they do. We want plaques and ribbons, bonuses and titles, with the awards being presented in front of colleagues and friends. We want our family to be there, too, so everyone knows that hard work pays off. In truth, this world does not reward most servant deeds. Consider the following: If you need to be praised for a job well done, who needs to feel appreciated or you won't continue the work, then becoming a servant will be much harder for you. Servants are overlooked, pushed to the back, and unrecognized. If this world is not rewarding your service, rest assured that God is faithful and will reward you one day for a job well done. Hard work does pay off, in the end, for a servant. Continue the work God has given you.  

A Brick House

"Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food"- Genesis 1:29 (NIV).

God has cared about our health since creation took place. Part of His creation was intended to feed us; to keep us full, but also, the plants and trees were to keep us healthy. Hippocrates, known as the Father of Medicine, said, "Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can cure the patient with food." He also said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." God wanted us healthy, because He knew our bodies would one day become temples of the Holy Spirit. "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). God has given us what we need, but we ultimately have to chose between a healthy lifestyle and an unhealthy lifestyle. If God gave each of us a nice brick house, soundly structured, with running water, and power, we would take care of it like our lives depended on it. He has...and it does. Gifts from God are not taken lightly; therefore. our bodies, houses of the Holy Spirit, should be taken care of: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. That includes what we place in our bodies. Every bite we place in our mouth is either an opportunity, or a missed opportunity, for a healthy body; a healthy temple. We will be held accountable for any neglect and/or misuse one day. I say this with love: Let us take care of ourselves. Know Who you belong to and the gift that God has given you.

Give Ear and Come

"Give ear and come to Me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, My faithful love promised to David"- Isaiah 55:3 (NIV).

Another broken heart, another betrayal, another left feeling hopeless. Humans are bad about breaking their promises, or covenants, between couples, friends, families, and colleagues. There is one covenant that sinful man has not been able to break. God made a covenant with David: "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16). The promise was fulfilled through Jesus and, upon His return, He will establish His kingdom here on earth...forever. David's disobedient sons, generation after generation, would fail God over and over, bringing the nation to ruin, but God is faithful to His covenant...forever. Believers knew God would raise up a righteous, obedient Son to rule the kingdom. ""The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land"" (Jeremiah 23:5). God's covenant cannot, and could not, be broken by sinful man, nor can it be broken today with all the sin we see in our world. Jesus is coming back. It's part of God's covenant and He has kept and will keep, His covenant. He is faithful. He only asks that we "listen, that [we] may live." God's covenant is with His children, with you and me, and all who "give ear and come to [Him]."