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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.Eph 2:9 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, July 14, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Parable of the Two Sons Bible Verse:Matthew 21:28-32 (ESV) "“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.” " Message:
Matthew (the only evangelist to recount this parable) does not identify Jesus’ audience clearly. In the preceding verses, he was talking with a group of priests and scribes who were plotting his death, so he might be still talking to them here — in fact, it seems likely that they would answer the question wrong.
But whoever it is, their answer identifies them as hypocrites, and even worse, intentional hypocrites. They choose the child who shows formal respect to his father’s face over the one who actually does what his father asks him. They are so puffed-up that they would rather hear a lie followed by wrongful conduct, than be insulted by someone who later repents and does the right thing..
Neither son represents an ideal, of course. The ideal son would simply say “yes, sir” and then go to work. But anyone who values real goodness more than his own dignity might actually prefer the son who said “no” and then did not go to work, since a broken promise is generally worse than no promise.
The parable reminds us of a very early teaching, in the Sermon on the Mount: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) Christ does not demand perfect obedience of us; if we are sincere in our repentance and belief when we are baptized, Christ will always be willing to forgive our sins. In fact, there is a wide-ranging theological debate as to whether a person who has received the Holy Spirit can ever be disenfranchised, whether it is even possible for such a person to go to lose his place in heaven altogether.
However — and this is a big however — speaking the words is not enough to save us. Sincerity of belief and true repentance is required. One may be dunked in a river by a preacher, or sprinkled by a priest, with no effect on one’s soul, for the physical act and words are only symbolic; it is what lies in our heart that opens our souls to receive the Spirit.
Meditation : Prayer : And now let me go forth praising you, O Lord, with all my heart, telling of all your wonders, with my words and in my actions. I will be glad and rejoice in you this day. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High,......Amen |
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