Today's Passage - Matthew 21:28-32

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Matthew 21:28-32    "What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' " 'I will not,' the son answered. But later he changed his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son. He said the same thing. The son answered, 'I will, sir.' But he did not go. "Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "What I'm about to tell you is true. Tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you. John came to show you the right way to live. And you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. You saw this. But even then you did not turn away from your sins and believe him.   Jesus taught us that obedience in our daily life is more precious than sweat words. When we serve God and follow God, it is very easy to say, "Lord, we love you." But in real life, we may never follow Him. Our spiritual lives seem out of touch and yet we don't see anything wrong. Just like the second son, saying he would go to father, but did not in the end, their problem is that they took belief too lightly and casually, regarding it as merely words, no need to take it seriously. May the Lord help us not be self-righteous. On the surface, the second son was very obedient, being pious in meetings and services. But in fact, he did not follow God's words. On the contrary, while the elder son was sometimes disobedient, he was in fact the real obedient one.   In other words, if we only sing and say God's words, but do not follow God's will, no matter how righteous you feel, it's nothing to God. On the other hand, even though prostitutes are less righteous than you and I, but they listen to the gospels of Jesus, repent, and thus are more righteous to God. May God help us being obedient not only in words, but in our lives as well. If we are disobedient, God cannot use us as His vessels. We have to totally sacrifice ourselves on the altar of God, allowing Him to use us.     There is too much formalism in the church. What God really values are not our words, but our hearts and deeds. Do we really follow God's words in our daily lives? If we do not, may God shine upon us, forgive our disbelief, so that we can turn to Him once again. Prostitutes and tax collectors, are the ones despised by this world. They are sinner in our eyes. Because they are obedient, turning back to God, the Lord call them righteous. May God have mercy on us, not to be bound by outward appearance and formalism, but simply follow Him obediently every day.   Pray with Pastor Tong     Lord, we thank you. May you help us be the elder son, not the second son, in our daily lives. May we happily follow your words so that Your will can be fulfilled through us. Prayer and thanks in the glorious name of Jesus, amen!