Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to this new month, the month of September 2024. I pray that none of the things meant for your peace of mind and elevation will be hidden from you in the month, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
As we begin this new month, I want to remind you of a parable of our Lord Jesus Christ that goes like this:
“”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. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”” (Matt 21:28-32NIV)
What is the main point of this parable? It is that it is not enough to mentally agree to do the will of God; we must also go ahead and do it. And unless we are actually doing what we know and agree to be the will of God for us in every area of our lives, we will not be different from those who do not believe in God at all.
As we see in the parable, when that father spoke to his first son about going to work in his vineyard, the young man told him plainly that he would not go. Why? We are not told. He must have had his reasons. But later that same day, he thought about his refusal to obey his father and concluded that it was wrong of him to do so. Therefore, he repented and went to do what his father had commanded him to do.
But when this father spoke to his second son, he did not argue with him at all. Instead, he said, “Yes, sir. I will go and work in your vineyard, as you have commanded.” However, he never went to do the father’s will. Why? We are not told. He must have all kinds of excuses for not going. But the point of it was that he did not go to do the will of his father, even though he had originally agreed that he would do it.
Now, having told this parable, Jesus went on to make its point clear to the religious leaders of the Jews that He told it to. And what was its point? It was that that those that they considered to be sinners would get into the kingdom of God ahead of them. Why? It was because even though they knew the will of God and were preaching His will, they would not do it. But those that they referred to as sinners and useless people were turning away from their sins to do the will of God at the preaching of Jesus. So, they would surely get ahead of them into the kingdom of God.
In like manner, we may think of ourselves as godly and spiritual people, simply because we attend church meetings, carry bibles around and say ‘Jesus is Lord’ all the time. But if we are not doing the things God wants us to do in our lives and in our society, we are just deceiving ourselves and are not better than those who do not believe at all. If, however, those that we think are worthless sinners begin to turn around to do the will of God in their lives, we will someday be surprised to see that they are ahead of us in the kingdom of God.
How, then, will you feel, if you find out on the Day of the Lord that certain individuals that you do not think know anything about God or the way of righteousness are in the kingdom of God while you are in hell or are occupying better positions in the kingdom of God than you? Well, I am sure you know that such feelings are hard to imagine. But that will be the case, if you are not devoted to doing the will of God wholeheartedly. So, stop using religion to cover up your disobedience to God and begin to do all that you know to be His will for your life. And I pray that you will be strengthened to do so, even as you journey through this month and the remaining part of the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Have a pleasant September 2024.
Copyright © 2024, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to pastor@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)