"The First"

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." Matthew 21:28-31

As Jesus told this parable He ended it with a question that had a pretty obvious answer. "The first." The first son is the one that ended up actually going and working in the vineyard and doing the will of his father. Why? Simple. Even though his attitude and words said, "No," his actions were in line with what was asked of him by his father. The second son on the other hand said, "Yes," but didn't follow through with the doing part.

Just so we are clear, I looked up the word will in the Strong's and it means; determination, choice, spec. purpose, decree. So, what does this have to do with us? Jesus said that not everyone who calls Him, "Lord" will see the kingdom of heaven. It is not just about the words that we speak to him. It is also about the follow through. Our actions or rather our obedience matters. It is not enough to talk the talk without ever actually walking out the will of the Father. Jesus also said that, "All will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."  John 13:35 Love isn't just words. It involves actions as well!

Have you worked in the vineyard today?