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ObedienceBy Steve Todd |
Tuesday, March 3, 2009 |
Scripture Verses Matthew 21:28-32 28 What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' In Matthew 21:28-32 it appears that the father has made a very simple request of each of his two sons to go work in the vineyard. I would imagine that this was something they had done before. The one son’s initial reaction is not unusual. He does not want to work, so he says no. However, after thinking about the fact that his father wants him to do this, he feels compelled to go to work. The other son, however, does the right thing initially by acknowledging his father’s request, but later puts his own interests first and does not go to work. As small children, we are taught to obey our parents. As we get older this expands to teachers, who are in authority over us in school, and then to bosses, who are in authority over us at work. It is almost hard to imagine how many times we are asked to do something by somebody that is in authority over us. The question is how do we respond to that authority? In Romans 13:1-6 Paul tells us that all authority is put in place by God, and if we rebel against that authority, we are rebelling against God. Does this mean that all those who are in authority are always right? Probably not, but that is not the point. In our hearts, we must feel that by obeying our earthly authority, we are also obeying God. There is nothing wrong with questioning those in authority if you do not agree with how something should be done. The important part is getting done what you were asked to do, even if it takes an alternate method. People who spend more time and effort trying to get out of work than just doing the work in the first place have always disheartened me. Why not channel that energy towards doing a good job and being satisfied that you did your best? Prayer |
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