Message from Scripture: 3/11/2021

Our message from Scripture today is Matt. 21:28-31. “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.”

How important are good intentions? They are indispensable! However, as fundamental as good intentions are, they must be carried out to accomplish anything good.  One may have all the good intentions possible, but if they are never acted upon, the end result is no different than the one who has no good intentions at all. As Jesus emphasized in the parable from Matt. 21, nothing positive is accomplished either way. It was not the son who said he would work that did the will of his father, but the one who actually served (although he had originally said he would not).  No matter the good intentions of the one son who said he would serve, they lay empty in his heart, unfulfilled and unproductive.  In the end, he was the one, even with good intentions, who was considered disobedient.

Most of us have good intentions. As recipients of God's mercy, our desire is to live and serve faithfully from a loving heart. The question is what do we do with those good intentions, those noble desires we have for God? They should be the springboards from which good works proceed (Eph. 2:10). If not, then no matter how much potential we have, our life will remain idle and wasted, accomplishing nothing. We glorify God when our words and deeds join together in His service. May we never stop thinking about what we can do for the Lord, and may we never stop trying to make such goals a reality. Have a great day today. God bless.

Robert