Better late than never when it comes to doing the will of the Father

The little set of verses in Matthew 21:28-32 reminds me of how patient God is with those who truly seek Him. Even those who make big mistakes will be accepted into the kingdom if they choose to repent and do the will of the Father.

In my growing up years I knew a few people who weren’t interested in the church at all as teenagers. Living their lives contrary to gospel principles seemed to be their goal. They were the last people I would have expected to see at church when they were younger, but things can change. I’ve heard through my network of friends that some of those people are now very active members. At first they said, “I will not”, but afterward they repented and went.

I know of others who were regulars at church, but now have fallen away. I have no idea whether they had attended because they wanted to, or because they were trying to please other people. At some point they had said, “I go, sir”, but later they went not.

The moral of the story to me is that there is still time to say “yes” if we haven’t been willing to do so in the past. There is also time for those who have fallen away to return. And, it’s more important what you actually do than what you say you will do.

Matthew 21:28-32

28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

Facebook makes us angry with each other

Ok, I’m not sure that Facebook is the root cause of the problem, but it seems that before Facebook became popular it was easier to maintain friendships with people who held differing views. These days the world seems more polarized when it comes to opinions. As people broadcast their thoughts and prejudices on Facebook, relationships can be strained and tested. For example, how long do we tolerate political messages from good friends who happen to be on the other side of a political fence? What about the people who constantly post about causes they feel deeply about, but we don’t? Since Facebook doesn’t really allow us to pick and choose the type of posts we see from friends, sometimes we make choices to terminate the relationship, on Facebook anyway. Once some people know you believe a certain way, they don’t want to be your friend anymore. I’m pretty sure I’ve been “unfriended” by people because of my Christian and conservative posts.

I’ve unfriended a few people myself. In the past I considered some of these people very good friends, but time and geographical distance changed the relationship for them. They started making rude, condescending comments about things I was posting. Instead of treating me like a friend, they treated me like someone they might argue with on a public forum. Perhaps that’s where they learned to behave that way. I chose not to tolerate it. My friends don’t have to agree with everything I say, but I expect a certain degree of respect. The Facebook environment seems to encourage people to say things online to their friends that they wouldn’t dare say to your faces.

Strangely, even friends who share very similar political and religious beliefs seem primed to want to fight. Instead of insulting me, they insult my friends, even if those friends are agreeing with me. On some of my posts I have deleted posts of friends who chose not to behave with respect. People are forgetting how to be nice.