September 4, 2008

You’re the one!

You’re the one!

“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.’ ” Matthew 21:28-31

Today’s Scripture is a parable that Jesus told to the chief priests and elders of the people when they questioned His authority. It brings me back to the reality of doing the will of God, not simply talking about it.

I had a request from one of our readers for the following story. It has been around for many years so you may have seen it before -- perhaps several times. Regardless of how many times we read it -- there is a powerful message for us.

"There were once four brothers: Everyone, Someone, Anyone and Noone. They had a very important task to do. Everyone was sure that Someone would do it. Anyone could have done it, but Noone did it in the end. Someone was angry because it could have been Everyone's job. Everyone thought that Anyone could have done it, but Noone realized that Noone will do it in the end. In the end, Everyone was angry at Someone because Noone did what Anyone could've done."

Does that sound familiar to you? I do not mean this humorous vignette, but the reality of the situation it describes. We are prone to expect others to do the job that the Lord calls us to do. Even when we accept responsibility for doing God’s work, we put off and put off, sometimes so long that we leave the job undone.

What is God putting in your heart to accomplish for Him? If you see a ministry that needs to be performed and wonder why someone is not doing it, it may well be that you are the one for the task.

Pastor Cecil A. Thompson

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