St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 24c; To lead astray

 Our paragraph topic is: (The sign of the last day) Part 4.  

When you read about the prophesies of Christ, it makes you wonder if any of it is true.  Nothing has taken place up to now that would indicate that his statements have happened yet.  We have not seen great signs or wonders that would make us doubt what we believe or change or minds from those beliefs.  Yet this is the Son of God who's making these predictions. 

He is telling those during his time, and even those of us today, to beware the signs of the last days for they are surely coming.  He says you will surely have great signs and wonders, false christs and false prophets, people calling out christ in every corner of the earth, but that will not be him.  He will only come in one shape, form or fashion; on a cloud with his angels so that every human can see him.  He says beware that the false signs and wonders are there: "So as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect."

So, what do we know.  We must be watchful on a daily basis.  We must be vigilant to know the truth of what is real and what is false based on what we hear, what we see, and what we know to be the truth.  There are many ways that false information is being spread today through the media.  We know that it can and has been used to spread untruths for political power and gain.  God only knows what other reasons it is being used for to manipulate the public.

Christ said that he would not leave us alone, that he would send us an advocate to help us and guide us every day.  Then let us use and call upon our spiritual guide to assist us in our journey.  Let us pray that he is with us every minute of the day to keep us on the path of justice and peace.  Let us walk the narrow path that we might remain within God's grace.  We are his people, and he is our Father, our provider, and our protector.  May we walk in this life in his grace and finish it with the love and peace that he gives us so that we may transition into his kingdom with the richness of his eternal grace.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself.  Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verses: 43a; The Kingdom.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 3. 

The leaders, the priest, and the elders are being told by Christ their fate.  Those who would corrupt the fruit for their own desires are being given a warning.  They are the ones who were put in charge of the vineyard.  They are the ones who were supposed to till the soil and trim the weeds so that the fruit would grow uninhibited.  But they saw the fruit as their own.  They saw the fruit as an opportunity to fulfill their own dreams of wealth and power.  So they cultivated and prepared the fruit so that it would provide them with the desires of their heart, all in the name of the Lord.

Israel was a chosen people.  They were special in the eyes of the Lord.  He came down from heaven to provide for them, to care for them, as a mother hen would care for her chicks.  Yet they rebelled.  They decided their own rules and laws contrary to the laws given them by the Lord.  Their leaders became filled with power and pride and considered themselves above the Law of the common man.  So Christ told them:  "Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you." 

Our religious leaders have a special place in the heart of God.  They are the ones we look up to.  They are the ones that we turn to for guidance.  They provide us with our daily lessons that instruct us how to live.  We follow their example in all that we do.  We are the sheep and they are the shepherds.  We hear their voice and we follow.  God has called them to lead us and to guide us along the way.  He has given them special training and leadership skills.  And they are the vine-dressers that bring forth the fruit from the vineyard.

Do we know who we are?  Do we know that we are the sheep?  Do we believe that our leaders are the shepherds that we are to follow?  Or are there doubts as to who leads us and the example that they give?  Pray that you may know the truth of who you are.  Pray that your eyes may be opened as to who leads you and how you follow.  Pray that you may see the light that is within you and know that you are the beloved of God.  Then you will know the truth of who you are and where you belong. 

God will send you the Advocate.  The Advocate will lead you and guide you to find the place where you belong.  He will show you that place where you can grow and become the fruit that your Father has planted within you.  You are a child of God and his love is within you.  He will provide.  He will protect.  He will show you the way to a new path in life that you may live according to the abundance that he has given you.  Look around you and see.  Is this the place that you want to be?  Do you yearn for something more?  Pray that he will guide you!  Pray that he will show you the way!  Pray and listen for his guidance for he will hear you!

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse: 16a, The Order of things: The Last, first and the First, last.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard)
Part 24.

We have been writing about this parable for some time now and we come to its end.  The house-holder had the right to choose to do as he pleased with his generosity to pay all the laborers the same amount and the laborers had the right to feel slighted.  The first hired laborers agreed to the payment for a days labor in the beginning.  They understood that they would work an entire day for a denarius.  They believed that this was a fair and just payment for their labor.  They were the first to come and the last to leave, the last to get paid.

It was in their payment that they turned, they changed, they felt slighted.  They saw that the other laborers who came after them were paid the same amount.  It was in this seeing, in this believing that their minds were changed, their hearts were bittered, their anger began to boil.  But that was the decision of the house-holder and not the decision of the laborers.  He decided to pay all the same.  He decided to make all equal in terms of their pay.  He decided to be generous.  And that had no bearing on the laborers.  As he told the laborers:  "Even so the last shall be first, and the first last." 

This is a famous quote in religious teachings, but what does it mean for those who follow the teachings of Christ today.  Christ was the first of all creations.  And he is the begotten son of God our Father.  He was there from the beginning of all creation.  Before the heavens were created and the principalities came into being, he was there with the Father.  He saw it all, he knows it all,  he was a part of it all in the love of God our Father.  Who will be the last?  Who will be the last soul to enter into the kingdom of heaven before the doors are closed and no more enter into the kingdom.

God our Father is a generous God.  He is a loving God and a protective Father who watches over his children.  Out of the generosity of his love he gave us life .  But there will come a point when time is fulfilled and all things are completed and the judgment will come forth.  There is a time when the heavens will shake and the tree of life will no longer give of its fruit.  There will come a time when our savior Jesus Christ will come forth with all his angels and demonstrate his power and majesty to the world that all will know his name.  When will that time come?  No one knows but the Father.

Will you be the last?  Will you know the truth of who you are in Christ?  You have, within you, the life of the Father.  You have, within you, the instructions given you through the Word.  You can have, within you, the path laid out by the Advocate each day.  The choice is yours to make.  Will you be the last?  The Father awaits you with open arms.  He seeks to embrace you with his love.  He desires that you come home to him instead of the place built for the outcast angels.  The choice is so simple and so easy to make.  The choice is a thousand times better than anything the world has to offer.  Come!  Take his hand and follow the path given you from the life within.  You will know the truth.  You will know the love.  You will know peace.   

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St Matthew, Chapter 20, verse: 14a, Take what is thine and go.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard)
Part 20.

We come to this part of the parable where the house-holder speaks to the laborers directly concerning their anger and their frustration about their pay.  They have come to believe that they were cheated.  Their minds were influenced by a belief that they deserved more than they agreed to from the beginning.  They saw others come in and work.  They believed that they would receive less.  But when the time came for payment they received the same as those who came before them and worked less.

They saw themselves deserving more.  They saw themselves as being cheated.  They saw themselves as being underpaid even though they agreed to do the labor for a denarius.  Who was at fault?  Who committed a wrong?  Did they deserve more?  Was that the issue or did they compare themselves to others to determine that they deserved more?  The house-holder spoke to them and told them:  "Take what is thine and go." 

What was theirs?  What belonged to them?  What did they own?  They agreed to a denarius when they were hired in the market place and that was what was theirs.  They believed that it was a fair wage for a days work.  So the contract for labor was agreed upon and signed when they went to work.  It was only after they were in the fields, saw others come in after them, and watched as they were paid the same amount that they became dissatisfied and disgruntled.  What would you do?  If you agreed to do a specific task for a fixed amount, would you be disgruntled if you saw others come and do less work and get paid the same amount?  Most would say yes!

Christ tells this parable to his disciples to warn them of the dangers of making comparisons.  He wanted them to know that they would be challenged to compare what they were being offered to what they would receive.  He wanted them to be aware of how evil would challenge them, to weaken them, and to open them up to being influenced.  Knowledge of oneself in the eyes of Christ defends against the outside influence.  Knowing the life that Christ has given to us and the value of that life cannot compare to anything that this world has to offer. 

Evil tempted Christ in the desert and offered him the kingdoms of this world if he would only bow down in worship.  Evil will do the same to us if we do not know who we are in Christ.  It will come and influence.  It will come and tempt.  It will come in and bring anger, and mistrust and disbelief and finally open the door to being controlled.  And when that control takes over one will do what is suggested to get what is being offered by it.

Christ came and opened the door to the kingdom that all could enter.  He gave us a path.  He showed us the way.  He left a message, a book, a light, so that we could find our way home.  And when we come to realize and understand who we are and the path to our destiny, nothing can stand in our way to receive our peace and happiness.  The Advocate will lead the way.  The Advocate will be our guide.  The Advocate will be our council everyday to help us make good decisions as we walk by faith along the path to the kingdom.  Your path is before you.  You can find the way.  Look within and see the light of life given you by Christ.  Seek to know him and you will see.  His love will come and touch you to let you know that he is there waiting for you.  Open your heart and let him in.  Come!  See the true you that is within and let no one or nothing separate you from the love that the Father has for you.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you.  Open the door and let him in.