St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 3; Those invited.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The marriage feast) Part 2.  

We are now talking about the parable of the marriage feast that Christ is telling the crowd.  He compares the feast to the kingdom of heaven.  The feast is like a party where there will be singing and dancing and free food and wine.  Who would not want to go to a party especially one celebrating a marriage?  Did they know of the party?  Were they willing to come?  Did the guest want to celebrate with the king or were they not happy with their king?  

The guest, who were invited, refused to come.  They knew the king.  They knew of his son.  They knew of the feast that the king had prepared for his son, but they still refused to come and celebrate.  "And he sent his servants to call in those invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come."  

Were they jealous?  Were they angry?  Invitations were sent out to them telling them of the feast but why would they not come?  What else was there that prevented them from coming to the party?  What prevented them, what stopped them from coming to this great celebration?  They knew about it.  They were given invitations.  So what was the hesitation, what stopped them from coming?

Today, we are called to the party, to the feast of the Father.  We are given invitations everyday to heed the upcoming celebration, the opportunity to prepare ourselves for the feast.  Do we go?  Do we plan what we are going to wear, how we are going to look, with our hair fixed, bathed and clean, shoes shined, with our favorite cologne, perfumes and best clothes?  Are we ready to go to the feast?  We are going to laugh and dance and eat fine foods that our Father has prepared for us at his table.  What a feast it will be!

But are we ready.  Have we made our preparations to go?  Everybody says that they are going to the feast but are they ready?  Are they making preparations now as we speak?  I plan to be there.  I am making my preparations everyday.  I can't wait to get there.  I want to leave my job now and go.  I want to be there early to see all the festivities and all the people that are coming.  What are you doing?  Do you plan to go?  Do you plan to be there?  

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 21, verses: 42a; The Corner Stone.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 1. 

Christ Jesus was telling this parable to the people and the leaders because he had a message for them.  He wanted them to understand where they were and who he was since they were having difficulty understanding his words.  What did this parable mean to them?  How will it be applied to the people?  What was the sense of it?

He gave them ample opportunity and many examples to open their eyes, their minds so that they could be redeemed.  And now he tells them about the foundation, the corner stone of the building of all that has come before him.  Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, has become the corner stone.' " 

What did this mean to them?  The builders of the nation of Israel rejected a stone in building up the temple!  The founders did not use a particular stone because they believed that it was unfit for their purposes.  How can the builders reject a stone and it still become a part of the foundation?  This was the part that Christ wanted them to understand.  The rejected stone was used in another construction that was better than the one that the original builders used.  The old building would be removed and a new structure put in it's place.

Something new was taking place that they did not understand, that they did not comprehend.  A new foundation was being put in place and the old foundation would be removed.  This was taking place right before their eyes and they could not see it.  The beginning of a new force was coming into play for the people of the nation and would yield new fruit that the vine-dressers wanted to keep for themselves.  They were in the way.  They were the holdbacks, those who wanted to continue in the old structure in the face of a new beginning. 

Today we are faced with a new beginning.  We are given the opportunity to see the change coming about and to come onboard.  But there are those who would have us maintain the status quo, keep the old guard in place, do not believe in the change that is taking place.  Paint eventually dries, molasses eventually runs, and night eventually becomes day for all of us.  With this knowledge do you want to watch the paint dry or do you want to know that it will dry.  Knowledge will lead you in the direction you want to take. 

Christ calls to each and every one of us day in and day out.  He gives us opportunity to be redeemed.  He open doors for us, create miracles for us to see, sends messages to us that we may know with certainty that he lives and is Lord of all.  He redeemed all.  He saved all.  He awaits all to call out his name.  Many will come.  Many will not.  But his love and compassion is there for all who seek.  It is there for all who want.  It is there 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 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 21, verses: 40; The Owner's actions.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The vine-dressers kill the master's son) Part 3. 

What would you do?  If this was a tale about your property what would you do?  You hire and pay someone to build and make repairs to your house while you are away.  After the repairs are completed the house is vacant for a while and the repairman thinks that you are dead and wants to claim the house for himself.  He wants to take what is yours.  What would you do?

This is the central theme of this parable.  They were offered many opportunities to change to return what was not theirs but they refused.  So Christ is speaking to the chief priest and the elders asking them what would the owner do.  "When, therefore, the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-dressers?" 

Will he beat them, will he hang them, will he kill them, what will he do?  For they beat and stoned, and killed his servants.  And they led away his son and killed him, the heir to the vineyard.  They wanted to take everything of value from the owner.  His wrath will be forthcoming.

He was away for a long time, many years.  And they assumed that he was not returning, so they made themselves owners, they made themselves lords of the vineyard.  And when messengers were sent asking for the fruit of the vineyard they refused to send that which belonged to the owner.  Again he sent servants and they were turned away or killed.  Finally he sent his only son that maybe they would respect his rights to the wine but the vine-dressers refused again and killed him also.  And then comes the owner with his might and wonder to put asunder the wrong that has taken place.

We live in this place where we believe and assume that we are the owners.  It was given to us as a gift but we have taken the belief that we are the owners and that our place here evolved over many millions of evolution.  We are the evolved and this is our world.  We search beyond this world in the belief that there is other life in the universe comparable to ours that will justify our own existence and support our reasoning.  Yet the truth and the knowledge that we seek is before us, given to us from eye witnesses, written for us to see and believe. 

Some believe because it is written, not knowing the truth beyond the words.  Some have faith because they have seen in their own lives the results of their prayers.  Then there are those who know because they have found the light of life within themselves and can see the truth of who they are.  What joy and peace that truth brings.  What happiness comes in knowing that you are blessed and loved.  What sorrowful tears are shed in the knowledge of our sins and the merciful relief that comes from forgiveness. 

We are children of light and not of darkness.  The light of Christ Jesus exist within those who know and can see.  And that knowledge can belong to anyone who seeks to see, anyone who wants to know.  It is written for us to see.  It is written for us to know.  It is written for us to walk in the trust that comes from the knowledge of who we are.  It is written, seek and you shall find.  Knock and it shall be opened to you.  Ask and it shall be given you by the Lord our God who created us. 

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 21, verses: 34-35; The Vine-dressers I.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the vine-dressers) Part 2. 

We continue this parable where Christ is telling the chief priest, the elders, and the scribes a story about a topic that they can relate to.  He talks about a householder, a home owner, who remodels his home to accommodate a vineyard.  The owner wants to have grapes that grow and pressed into a wine that he can enjoy.  He is not able to oversee the entire process of the growth of the grapes and the pressing into wine, so he leases the vineyard out to workers who will be paid to manage it for him.

He goes on a long far away journey for business that keeps him away from his vineyard for some years while the grapes are growing and the wine is being pressed.  Christ tells this story because he wants the rulers of the day to understand how it relates to them.  They are the vine-dressers who were supposed to manage the vineyard for the householder.  But when the fruit season drew near, he sent his servants to the vine-dressers to receive his fruits.  And the vine-dressers seized his servants, and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 

Surely this was wrong on the part of the vine-dressers.  They were hired to work the vineyard and to prepare the wine when the grapes were ripe.  They were hired to watch over the vineyard and prepare the fruit for the householder's return.  They were given the charge to provide and protect the householders property for which they were being paid.  Why did they turn on the householder?  Why did they beat and torture the householders servants?  What motive could they have for doing such?

Did they consider themselves in charge?  Did they consider themselves as owners?  Did they desire to have the fruits of the vineyard for themselves, knowing that it belonged to another?  What motive could have persuaded them to take such heinous actions?  We turn around and see some of the same actions today?  Crime is rampant in the streets.  Burglaries, robberies, theft, break-ins, all sorts of actions that indicate the same behavior taken by the vine-dressers of the past are still here today.

Why do we have to steal?  Why do we have to rob?  Why do we have to take by force that which does not belong to us but to others?  We see, we want, and we take, seems to be the motto, irrespective of who it belongs to.  There is the thrill of it all.  And the chase to get away from being caught becomes a thrill to be remembered and repeated until caught. 

If we only knew who we are.  If we only knew what is given to us.  If we only believed that we are already rich beyond our wildest imagination then we would know that we do not have to steal or take that which does not belong to us.  More than anything of value on this earth, Christ has given us life anew and this is the most precious gift anyone can give to us.  The rest is dirt.  All the diamonds and jewels, and money and fame cannot compare to the treasures stored in heaven for those who love the Lord.  Nothing can satisfy the hunger, the want, the desire that burns within, except he who has given us life.  And it is he who has prepared a place for us in his kingdom.  Take not!  Steal not!  Rob not!  Be not that one who believes that he has not when he has all.  Christ awaits with open arms to provide for you.  Christ awaits with open heart to forgive you.  Christ awaits with open spirit to love you with a love that no earthly gift can fulfill.  Open your heart, open your mind, take the leap of faith and he will come and be with 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 21, verses: 33-34; The Householder.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the vine-dressers) Part 1. 

Christ is still speaking to the chief priest, the elders and the scribes.  They came to him seeking to know of his authority to teach the people.  They were indignant.  They were angry.  They were unbelieving.  He wanted to heal them.  He wanted to open their eyes.  He wanted to bring them from the darkness into the light.  He spoke to them directly but they could not and would not open themselves up to understanding.  So now he tells them of a parable. 

"Hear another parable. There was a man, a householder, who planted a vineyard, and put a hedge about it, and dug a wine vat in it, and built a tower; then he let it out to vine-dressers,
and went abroad.  But when the fruit season drew near, he sent his servants to the vine-dressers to receive his fruits."

Now this is a simple parable that tells of a home owner, a land owner who built a vineyard on his property.  He traveled abroad and while away he leased his property to workers who were supposed to take care of it while he was away.  Think of it this way, you own a house and decide to fix it up to rent out to a tenant.  You do a great job of repairs on your property so that the new tenant will enjoy it.  You spend a good sum of money to complete the repairs so that the house will have a good market value when finished.  You have taken every precaution to select a good tenant who will pay on time and will take care of that which you value so much.

This is how the parable begins.  It wants to tell itself so that the chief priest, the elders, and the scribes can completely understand its meaning.  They have heretofore declined to be opened, to hear the words, to let the light come in.  But Christ continues to provide opportunities for them to see, to understand, to be healed.

The same is true today.  We are given opportunity after opportunity to be open, to understand, to have the truth come to us that we may be healed.  It took some time for me to understand, to be open.  I had to be beaten down to the point of depression, to the point of despair.  In my state of submission, evil came to me and whispered to me to end it all.  It wanted me to give up, to believe that there was no redemption for me, no forgiveness for the sin that I had continually committed. 

Through all this Christ held my hand.  He did not let go of me.  He continued to walk with me no matter where I went.  And it came the time for me to listen to his voice, to be open, to follow his words that I might be healed.  And so it was.  I came to understand.  I came to know.  I asked for forgiveness.  I begged to repent.  I wept for all the sins in my life that I had committed.  And I turned away from the abyss and turned back to him. 

You can too.  This is my gift to all who will listen, to all who will hear, to all who will be open to understand who they are in the eyes of Christ who died that we may have life again.  We are precious in his eyes and he will not let go of his precious children.  Come!  Speak to your heavenly Father.  Tell him your pain.  Open up to him with your sorrows and he will fill you with the joy of heaven.  You are his creation, his love.  He will hear you.  Patience is the key.

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 21, verses:31b; The publicans and harlots.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the two sons) Part 4. 

After telling them the parable of the two sons, Christ asks them the question:  "Who did the father's will?"  They answered, the first son.  He gave them the opportunity to understand this simple parable on their a level that they were familiar with.  He wanted them to know.  He wanted them to understand, to have the knowledge and the opportunity for their eyes to be opened that they might be healed.

This parable led them down the path to that knowledge.  They had to open the door.  They had to see.  They had to allow themselves to come to know what was right in front of their eyes.  Could they do this?  Were they open enough?  Could they break through the darkness that blinded them?  So:  Jesus said to them , "Amen I say to you, the
publicans and harlots are entering the kingdom of God before you." 

And there it was, right in front of their faces.  They were so blind that they could not see what was happening.  Others were accepting and entering the kingdom but they were not.  The kingdom of heaven was at hand.  The kingdom of heaven had come to them here on earth.  The kingdom of heaven had come down from heaven and was now here on earth that all might have the opportunity to see and believe.  But the chief priest and the elders could not see.  They could not understand.  They could not hear the truth of the word.  They were blind.

Are we blind today?  Are those with the wisdom and the knowledge unable to see the opportunity?  Has the knowledge of the world so influenced their inner life that it is dimmed and turned to darkness?  Can they not believe?  Can they not see?  Can they not know that we are human beings but more than that we are spiritual beings created in the image and likeness of God himself.

He gave us life.  He created us from dust.  He provided the earth, the air, the water, the sun that we might have the right environment to grow and prosper.  Yet we in our finite wisdom have converted the truth to our own interpretation and liking, that it might make sense to us.  Yet we, not knowing, can not comprehend the knowledge and wisdom of our Father who created us.  Even more we are not supposed to understand but to take a leap beyond our own wisdom and knowledge to exercise the wisdom and knowledge of the spiritual being within us.

Christ came that we would have the truth.  He came that what was lost through deceit could be regained through truth.  We were dead, without a spiritual being, according to God's decree.  Christ came to give us life again.  And that life is open to all who seek it.  It is open to all who want to know the truth.  It is open to the young and the old, the wise and the dumb, the sick and the able, it is open to all.  Let us become like the publicans and the harlots, regain our spiritual light, and enter into the kingdom of heaven, now.

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 21, verses:31a; The Father's Will.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the two sons) Part 3. 

Christ continues his parable to help open the minds and the hearts of the chief priest and the elders.  He gave them the opportunity to understand but they were filled with deceit.  So he now tells them this parable to give them a second chance to see, to understand, to open their eyes that they might be saved.

The two sons each were told by their father to go to work in the vineyard.  One said that he would not and later regretted his answer and went to work.  The other lied to his father and told him that he would go to work but later did not.  Christ asked them:  "Which of the two did the father's will?" They said "The first." 

The first did the father's will being obedient to his request.  Most of us come of age knowing the authority of a father or a father figure.  It is in his will that we find our own.  It is in his will that we come to know who we are.  It is in his will that we have our example to follow through life.  And it is in his will that we have a model to reshape our own authority in life.

Where does this authority come from?  Who gave it to our fathers and their fathers and their fathers before them throughout history?  Did it just come of its own?  Did it just evolve into itself without the help of anyone or anything?  Or were we given the authority from our Father on high and passed it down from generation to generation?

Fathers are protectors.  Fathers are providers.  They are the rule makers to the young and the givers of love and comfort to the children who do not know for themselves.  Fathers come with mothers and together they make the home in which we grow and develop.  They form us from the womb, give us our character and guidance through life.  They are our patterns, our examples in life.  We carry the genes of generations of learning passed down to us from our mothers and fathers.  They have gone before us, experienced life that we have not, and survived with a knowledge that we can inherit.

Do the Father's will for he was here before us.  He knows that which we do not.  He teaches that which we have yet to learn.  His is the love that filled his heart from the day we came into this world.  He knew us in the womb.  He rejoiced with our every kick, our every turn, our every move.  He is the ultimate love and protection that comes to us, if we accept him.  He comes to those who had an earthly father and for those who did not.  God is our Father and the authority is with him.  Do the Father's will and all will be well. 

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 21, verses:28-29; Work in the Vineyard.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the two sons) Part 1. 

Since they did not want to incriminate themselves, Christ told them that he could not answer their question as to his authority.  He gave them the opportunity to become open to the truth.  He gave them the chance to receive that which he was about to give, but they were blind.  They could not see or hear the opportunity that was available to them.  So he gave them another opportunity to understand.

He told them a parable that maybe would help them to see and be open to the truth.  He told them the parable of the two sons.  He asked:  “But what do you think? A man had two sons; and he came to the first and said, ‘Son go and work today in my vineyard.'  But he answered and said, 'I will not'; but afterwards he regretted it and went.

Christ told the chief priest and the elders this parable so that they would understand authority.  You see, they understood the parable of the father and the sons because they could understand the authority of the father and the need for obedience of the sons.  So what did they think of the son who was disobedient to the wishes of the father but later thought about his disobedience and repented?

Was that the right thing to do?  Did the son regret his mistake in telling the father that he would not do his will but later repented?  Would they, could they understand the meaning of this parable and come to repent to the will of God their father?  Or were they so far gone that nothing could open their minds and their hearts to repent?

We live in a world that hides the truth of the father.  It may be that only through adversity that we come to realize the truth of who we are and to understand the majesty and glory of God our Father.  There are many things that we do not understand or try to reason to our own understanding as to the why and wherefore.  Why are there accidents that take the lives of innocent children?  Why do some die so young?  Why do the children suffer with crippling diseases?  Why must we live with debilitating pain in our lives that make us despair and want to end it?  Why is there war and not peace in the world?  Why are there natural disasters that take the lives of so many people?

All these whys and yet no answers.  Who knows the mind of God and who are we to question it?  I thank him, myself, that I was not so far gone that I did not open myself and my heart to his calling to repent.  I thank him that I am able to repent and to know that he is a merciful God.  I was lost and headed down the road to destruction.  Even considered the whisperings of depression and despair.  My life was lost and I had no where to turn.  I asked for forgiveness.  I asked for direction.  I asked to know the truth.  I asked to know him, to know his love for me.  And he touched me and filled me with a knowledge and understanding that lets me know that he is with me all my days.  He is inside of me, he is the life within.

If you are tired and do not know where to turn, turn to him.  Ask for his forgiveness.  Ask to know him.  Ask to feel him in your life.  Ask him to walk with you everyday that you may not know the despair and depression that you have lived with for so long.  Believe that he will be with you and seek to see the little miracles that happen in your life each and every day that are signs of his presence.  He is love.  He is faithful.  He is with you, always.

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: 2, The Laborer's agreement.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 2. 

Christ continues to educate his disciples on the kingdom of heaven by using a parable.  He tells them that the kingdom of heaven is like a house-holder who needs laborers to work in his vineyard.  The owner goes out to the market place and hires laborers to do the work.  He makes an agreement with them to do the work and he agrees to pay them for the work that they will do.  The agreement is for one denarius to work in the vineyard all day.  The laborers agree and go to work in the vineyard.

The disciples understand this concept because they themselves have hired laborers to work with them and have made agreements before the work has begun.  The process is simple.  The procedure is standard and used by most laborers and those seeking to hire laborers.  So Christ told his disciples:  "And having agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard."

We are given this example because most can relate to being hired for work.  In today's world we make application and have an interview and the personnel representative makes the decision to hire based on the needs of the position and the company.  We seek to work and they seek to hire.  We agree to work for a price and they agree to pay the price that we agree.  In most cases the pay is already set in writing.  So Christ is giving his disciples and us, today, a living example that we can use to compare to the kingdom of heaven. 

Why does he want us to think of the kingdom of heaven as a work-laborer relationship?  Why does he want us to understand the parallel between the two?  What are the similarities?  What are the differences?  Are we being called to work in the kingdom?  Are we being offered a work-laborer relationship?  What is our pay?  What is our compensation?  What work are we required to do?

Christ came that we would have life and have it more abundantly.  He came that we would know the truth of who we are in him.  He came to pay the price for our transgressions.  And having paid that price, he came that we would be released from the bondage of our past sins and given a new opportunity to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  We are cleansed.  We are justified.  And we are newly born again.  He has offered the invitation to work in his vineyard.  He has agreed to pay the wages for the work.  The decision is ours to make if we want to work in his vineyard.  Or the decision is ours if we want to work in the vineyard of death. 

Christ calls us.  Christ wants us.  Christ has given us the opportunity.  But it is ours to accept or to reject.  Each one and everyone has the decision to make.  What will yours be?  Who will you work for?  What will be your reward?  Come!  Let us go and work for the Lord that he may provide for us.  The harvest is great but the laborers are few.  Are you one?

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 18, verses: 28 - 30: Have patience with me!

Our paragraph topic is:  (The servant demands payment)  

The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who desires to settle accounts with his servants.  This is the parable that Christ told to his disciples as he was teaching them about forgiveness.  He wanted them to have a clear understanding.  He wanted them to know.  He wanted them to feel within their hearts the meaning of forgiveness.  Peter had asked how often they should forgive.  And Christ wanted them to understand that there is no limit on forgiveness.

He told them, when the accounts came to be settled, would it show that they had compassion upon their fellow man as the king had upon his servant.  Or would they be like the servant who had no compassion upon those that owed him?  These are the servants actions.  "But as that servant went out, he met one of his fellow-servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and he laid hold of him and throttled him, saying, 'Pay what thou owest.'  His fellow-servant therefore fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will pay thee all.'  But he would not; but went away and cast him into prison until he should pay what was due."

What will you do?  Will you be like the servant or will you take the position of the king?  God has patience.  God  has compassion.  God  is forgiving.  God  is all knowing.  Will you be like God  our Father?  Will you forgive?  Will you have compassion?  Will you have patience with your brothers and sisters as they continue in their ways?  Will you have love for them as they struggle through the trials and tribulations of life?  Will you be an example for them, demonstrating the love the God  has for you and the love that your heavenly father has for them?

Our Father waits for us to have knowledge.  Our Father waits for us to understand.  Our Father waits for us to turn to him and believe.  We are drawn by the world and all its glitz and glamour.  For we are given to believe that we are successful it.  We are given to believe that we can have what it has to offer.  We are given to believe that if we only believe hard enough and work long enough that we can have the promises of this life.  And when we try and fail who do we turn to?  Do we change our game plan?  Do we try a different strategy?  Do we push the boundaries in our efforts to succeed?  And yet we are already successful.

For within us lies the truth of who we are in Christ.  And within us lies the truth of our success.  Within us is the light of life given us by our father through Christ Jesus.  And yet we are not aware of who we are in him simply because we are blinded by the physical.  We are blinded by the world.  We are raised in an environment that teaches us the rules of this world and not the rules of the spiritual world.  The two contradict and conflict.  Father have patience with me that I may learn your ways.  Father have patience with me that I may understand the truth of who I am.  Father forgive me my trespasses and help me to forgive others as you forgive me.  Help me to have patience and love that I may see others as you see me. 

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.