Some Will, Some Won't!

Have you ever wondered why some Christians won't attempt anything remotely substantial for God? After reading the parable of the two sons in Matthew 21 v28-32. The only conclusion I came to is that "some will, and some wont!"

Jesus tells the parable of two sons who were given clear instructions by their father to go work in his vineyard. 

The first son was reluctant to work, but afterwards came to his senses and did as his father had asked him "I will not: but afterward he repented, and went"

The second son initially showed promise! But decided not to go work in the vineyard "And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not"

Jesus Christ finishes this parable by asking the listeners "Whether of them twain did the will of his father" - the answer clearly being the first son. The parable was spoken to contrast how the scribes and pharisees rejected the teachings of John Baptist un-repentantly, but the publicans and harlots gladly received the teachings are were saved

"For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him"

The parable itself can be interpreted though for Christians who have been given clear instructions to go "work" in the vineyard of our heavenly father. Let's say the command is the great commission "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature"

This command is clear, but the response by all Christians will be one of two things! Some will obey and do, and some won't obey. There could be a plethora of reasons behind their decision but it will always be that some will and some wont.

I have come to two conclusions from this simple truth; and they are these.

1) Thank God that we are not saved by our "works" but rather by the blood of Jesus Christ. Reason being if we were justified by our works, then we all would fall short, even if we were to obey every command of God, we will fall short of perfection every single time. Jesus Christ on the other hand did all that was required of him, and died as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. The works we do show our love for our father, but do not justify us in is sight and they never will. Only Jesus Christ can justify us through faith.

2) Don't be downcast when you see Christians around you not wanting to do anything for God, but you yourself are trying to live a righteous life or trying to preach the gospel to others. God know's and see's the everything and someday we all individually as believers will have to stand before God. This will not be for judgment of our sins, since we have been declared righteous already, but rather it will be to give an account of how we lived our lives here on earth. Whether we spent out time laying up treasures in heaven or spent our time building up wood hay and stubble here on earth.

Me Obey Him ‘vs’ Me Submit to Him

In the husband/wife relationship, is it... "me obey him" or... "me submit to him"? Did you know there is a difference? True... to obey requires one to submit, and to submit means you obey the wishes of another, but the processes of the two are very different.

As basic as I can state it - to obey means to be obedient and carries with it an authoritativeness that says, "This is the way it’s going to be; it is not open for discussion; this is non-negotiable." Whereas to submit, to be in submission to another, carries with it a subdued form of authority that allows room for negotiation and consideration. Submission allows one to have a voice and an opinion, whereas obedience does not allow this considered negotiation.

For example, we are commanded to obey God’s commandments, which are not subject to negotiation or debate... God said it and that settles it. Obviously, we have no righteousness of our own, nor any omniscient power of our own to negotiate any subject matter with our Holy God. God’s ways are not our ways, but we can be assured that He always has our best interest in mind, hence the reasons we are commanded to obey God. (Deuteronomy 11:27, 28; 26:17; 27:10; 28:9; 30:2, 8, 16; 32:4; I Samuel 12:14, 15; Jeremiah 42:6; Psalm 19:8; 119:75; Romans 7:12; I Peter 4:17) But there are also two other authoritative relationships mentioned in the Bible: the relationship of children with their parents (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20; Deuteronomy 21:18-20) and servants with their masters (Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22). It is both interesting and necessary to note that these other two relationships (of children/parents and servant/master) are to be patterned in much the same way, for many of the same reasons. (Exodus 20:12; 21:15, 17; Leviticus 19:3; Deuteronomy 8:5; 21:18-21; Proverbs 13:24; 20:20; Psalm 123:3; Mal. 1:6; Ephesians 6:5-7; Colossians 3:22-25; 4:1; I Timothy 6:1, 2: Titus 2:9, 10; I Peter 2:18, 19)

 Have you ever notice that the Bible never says, "Children submit to your parents," or "Servants submit to your masters"? There isn’t the slightest hint of these relationships being of the negotiating kind. In all three of these examples, the command is to obey and there is no suggestion of a negotiating relationship, and it is this command of obedience that also carries with it the hand of chastisement (Deuteronomy 11:1, 2; Hebrews 12:7-11). All three of these relationships are based on a superior and subordinate design... but the husband and wife relationship is a unique unity and is designed to be different, hence the reason why the Bible repeats, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands..." in Ephesians 5:22 and Colossians 3:18.

In the Bible, it is only with the husband/wife relationship that we see submission and that is because marriage is not to be a domination relationship. (I Peter 3:1-5; Ephesians 5:21, 22) Marriage is about two becoming one flesh, not just physically (bodily) speak, but more importantly mind, and soul; becoming soul-mates. It is only submission that encourages this as a reciprocating relationship which results in the unique unity of marriage (I Corinthians 7:3, 4; I Peter 3:7; Genesis 2:23, 24; Matthew 19:5, 6). And, with this unique unity of marriage, submission does not allow a husband to dominate his wife. He is also not allowed to chastise his wife in any form or manner. Christ set the example of how a husband is to treat his wife, in Ephesians 5:22-33, and Christ does not dominate. Even when God has to chastise a wayward Christian, we are corrected as a child, not a bride. (Deuteronomy 11:1, 2; Hebrews 12:7-11)

Thank you for reading my post, your questions and comments are welcomed.
God Bless,
Jane Coley

Playing the part of the enemy.

Recently I overheard a few young people sharing their excitement over having tickets to attend some famous rock star’s concert that’s happening soon. They were ecstatic; they couldn’t believe they were able to get such good seats; they were trying to figure out who else they would take with them and what outfits they were going to wear! It was really this intense conversation that was happening behind me that I had no business in, yet was eavesdropping anyways. Oh, I think I failed to mention… these individuals are Christians.

What exactly did God mean in II Corinthians 6:17? “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you…” It seems pretty simple and straight-forward to me. But the thought doesn’t end there – there’s one sentence is finished with this: “And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (vs. 18) There’s a great reason why Christians should be separated from the world and its ways. If you’re truly saved, then you’re the child of the King! You are princes and princesses. You never see royalty rolling around in the mud, associating with criminals or rebels, or engaging in activities of the enemy… they don’t mingle with and engage in “common” activities. They are separated. They are distinct. The same should go for Christians.

Music
I love music. It is one of the things I enjoy most in this world. I play the piano, I love to sing, I love to write music… but even more, I love to listen to music. Music has always been a great help to me – especially when I’m sad or frustrated. But it has also been a great downfall for me as well. I used to listen to it all… well, I never like that scream-o stuff, heavy metal, anything I had to plug my ears and strain to understand – that was just never enjoyable for me. But I used to crave hip hop, R&B, rap, rock, alternative, some country, and a few others. I knew the music was doing absolutely nothing to edify me or help me grow in any way – I knew music that exalted sex, drugs, alcohol, crime, violence, suicide, and a multitude of other unBiblical activities was something that I really shouldn’t be feeding into my mind… but I liked the beat. I liked the way it made my car rumble. I liked the way it made me feel. Ah, the way music makes us “feel” – that’s the big one. It stimulates our emotions; makes us forget the cares of the world for a few minutes; breaks the silence; gives us something to constantly keep our minds busy with. The problem with that music is that it doesn’t glorify the Lord in any way.