This is an excerpt from What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life?
What will you do with the rest of your life? Without a doubt, that is one of the most intriguing, perplexing, and important questions anyone will ever consider, and the answer we give may determine our eternal well-being. Jesus frequently taught in parables. They were simple stories that He used to explain essential truths. In two of His parables, the main characters were a father and his two sons, and in both of them, He dealt with issues that are related to the question I posed in the title of this book.
This is the gist of the first parable:
- A man had two sons. He asked his first son to work in the vineyards. The boy said that he wouldn’t do it, but later he regretted what he had said and went. (Matthew 21: 28-29)
- Next, the man asked his second son to work in the vineyards. Immediately he said he would, but he didn’t go. (Matthew 21: 30)
- A group of rabbis was standing nearby. Jesus asked them which of the two boys in the parable did the will of their father. The rabbis thought about it and concluded exactly what you would expect. They said that the first son obeyed his father and that the second one didn’t. (Matthew 21: 31)
Jesus’ response either chilled them to the bone or made them incredibly angry. He said,
“Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.” Matthew 21: 31-32
The message in this parable is easy to grasp. What you do is more important than what you say. All of us are familiar with people who made professions of faith at some point in their lives, and afterwards they proceeded to lead lives void of any apparent influence by the Spirit of God. We are commanded not to judge them, but we are also told to discern right and wrong — good and evil. Thus, we form an opinion on the basis of what we see about whether their professions of faith were sincere or disingenuous.
We need to be careful when we judge because God is the only One capable of knowing the conditions of our hearts, but we know this. Eventually, if our professions of faith don’t produce fruit, or works that God calls “good,” then our professions were nothing more than window dressing.
The rabbis who answered Jesus’ question were the most respected religious leaders in Israel. They were believed to be Godly men, and they made a show of their zeal and religiosity for all to see. Common people in Israel thought of them as being beyond reproach, but Jesus could see beneath the surface, and His response must have cut them to the quick.
On many occasions, Jesus used harsh language in His dealings with the rabbis. More than any other group, they were responsible for leading Israel astray, but He never excused anyone who followed their teaching. In the end, each one of us is responsible for our own actions no matter which so-called “expert” or “experts” we rely on to guide us in our thinking.
Jesus explained it this way:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name, and in Your Name cast out demons, and in Your Name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” Matthew 7: 21-23
We must do the will of the Father. If we don’t, according to Jesus, we will not enter His kingdom. That explains why the question I’m addressing in this book is so important. Each one of us must make a choice. Will we go our own way and do our own thing, or will we follow the leading of God’s Spirit?
This is what Paul said:
“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8: 14
Again, the message is clear. What you do matters more than what you say. You should be able to tell if God is leading you, and you should know whether you are following Him. If you can’t detect God’s leading in your life, then you need to start reading your Bible and praying. If you seek God, He will let you find Him. Jesus explained it this way:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7: 7-11
If God is tugging at your heart and you’re not following Him, this book could help to bring about a change in your life. There is no higher calling than doing the will of the Father. If you are following the leading of God’s Spirit, this book will help you to plot a course.
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Thomas Jefferson
“For here we are not afraid to follow the truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.”
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Jeremiah 37: 3-5
Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray to Yahweh our God on our behalf.” Now Jeremiah was still coming in and going out among the people, for they had not yet put him in the prison. Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who had been besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they lifted the siege from Jerusalem.
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Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Hosea 4: 6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
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Stand! is a gripping novel about the subterfuge surrounding the global warming debate. It lays out the facts concerning climate change through an exciting story that pits a college professor and his research collaborator against corrupt university administrators and radical environmentalists. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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- If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem…
- US sanctions on Iran’s central bank. Tehran has called this an act of war
- Iranian missile spin closes Hormuz for five hours
- Iran’s response will make enemies regret issuing threats: Jalili
- Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: Fate of Israel peace treaty may be decided in referendum
- Invented People or Invented History?
- Will the Animosity against Israelis ever End?
- Daniel J. Mitchell: Another Horror Story about Government-Run Healthcare that Can’t Possibly Be True According to Paul Krugman
- El-Erian: Safeguard America’s credit rating
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Top 5 diggtm articles yesterday:
- How Bill O’Reilly Covered Wars In December 2011 (pic)
- The Only Senators & Congress persons who never supported the Patriot Act and NDAA
- Court challenge filed to Wisconsin anti-union law
- What the Hell is Happening in Iowa?
- Obama to Focus on Congress and Economy in 2012 Campaign
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The Jerusalem Post:
- Israeli, Palestinian officials to meet in Amman
- PA to take issue of settlement building to UNSC
- ‘Secret peace talks nixed in wake of Quartet plan’
- Eight killed in Syria, Arab body urges monitors out
- Iran fires radar-beating missile during naval drill
- PM: Security fence to be built along Jordan border
- 2 mortar shells from Gaza contained phosphorous
- Netanyahu: Defense cuts will finance free day care
- Sheetrit: Kadima not splitting – for now
- ‘Iran dismisses US sanctions on its Central Bank’
- Jordan denies reports of Qatari aid to host Hamas
- Yishai condemns ‘wild incitement’ against haredim
Haaretz:
- Israel, Palestinian envoys to hold talks in Jordan on Tuesday
- Israel, PA in mediated push to resume Mideast peace talks
- Gaza’s Hamas leader meets with Turkey PM Erdogan
- Netanyahu delays discussion of bill preventing eviction of West Bank outposts
- Will 2012 bring a new Israeli attitude toward Iran?
- Israeli politicians decry ultra-Orthodox protesters’ use of Holocaust imagery
- Arab League advisory body urges end to Syria monitoring mission
- Iran says produces first nuclear fuel rod for Tehran research reactor
- Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews protest in Jerusalem against ‘exclusion of Haredim’
- Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters riot in flashpoint town of Beit Shemesh
- 2012: The good, the bad and the costly
Other:
- An Open Letter to the Beit Shemesh Spitter
- Syrian Activists Doubt Arab Mission Will Work
- Egypt Police Raid U.S.-Backed Pro-Democracy Groups
- Iran’s Strait of Hormuz: A Challenge to U.S. Policy
- A Provocation in Egypt
- Stomping on Human Rights in Egypt
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What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Business:
- 2011 was a bust — could 2012 be better?
- How the economy could come back in 2012
- ‘Fair trade’ products turn profits, creating problems for a movement
- When even safe financial bets are risky
- Big tech trends and storylines for 2012
- Merkel Tells Nation She’ll ‘Do Everything’ to Save Euro in 2012
- China’s Export Orders Show Threat to Growth From Europe: Economy
- Crisis talk, austerity calls mark euro anniversary
- Exxon Mobil: $908 M awarded in Venezuela dispute
- Nigeria to End Gasoline Subsidy Accounting for 25% of Government Spending
World:
- Strait talking: Iran gets tough as US fleet looks on
- Thousands of Iraqi translators who worked for American troops live in fear
- Iran’s navy says it has tested surface-to-air missile
- Iran reports nuclear progress as sanctions loom
- In New Year, Pope Believes Youth Can Be All the Difference
- Nigeria’s president declares state of emergency after Christmas attacks
- Arab Group Blasts Syria for Continued Killings
- Magnitude 6.8 quake hits Japan
- Iraqi Leader Calls For Unity, Political Stability
- Sarkozy plays to the gallery on immigration
- Demonstrators Arrested in New Year’s Eve Protests in Moscow
United States:
- Cuccinelli calls for emergency law to open up Virginia ballot
- Grassley: ‘I Don’t Think There Will Be a Clear Winner in Iowa’
- Iowa Leaders Romney, Paul Leave Stage to Rivals
- New Poll Shows Mitt Romney on the Cusp of Iowa Victory
- Bill Clinton vs. Obama? Democrats Need to Go Centrist for 2012
- Newt Gingrich Without Tears: Responding to Mitt Romney’s Criticisms
- Authorities struggle against wave of LA arson fires
- Blackbirds Falling From Sky In Arkansas Again
- GOP’s election battle plan: Use Obama’s own words against him
- Mitt Romney Says He Would Veto DREAM Act
- Obama signs defense bill, with ‘serious reservations’
Townhall Opinions:
- Bill O’Reilly: Good Riddance 2011
- Derek Hunter: The Unimportance of Now
- Salena Zito: Obama’s Support Faltering In Iowa
- Debra J. Saunders: Not a Ringing Endorsement
- Mike Shedlock: Mish 2012 Predictions; 2011 Year in Review
- Austin Hill: Mormonism or Marxism: Which Would You Prefer at the White House?
- Mark Calabria: Fannie and Freddie Need to Go
- Marita Noon: The Keystone XL pipeline—a line in the sand for America’s future
- Jerry Bowyer: Christ vs. Caesar on Wall Street
- Paul Jacob: Pensions and Promises and Perfidy
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/
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- Pragmatism vs. passion in days before caucus
- They’re in Iowa, and back in the GOP fold. But they’re still undecided.
- Obama camp: ‘We’re ready now’
- Chief justice defends court’s ethics
- In Yemen, al-Qaeda steps in
- The Post’s View: An uncertain new year
- The most important losers in U.S. politics
- Iranian general backs off threat to close strait
- Obama signs defense bill despite misgivings
- Maliki celebrates end of U.S.-Iraq pact
- Is it the end of the world as we know it?
- Inside Hezbollah’s training camps
- ‘We are like an island in a sea of al-Qaeda’
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- Power stage of naval war games begins
- U.S., Israel behind abduction of Iranian engineers: Syrian politician
- Talk of closing Hormuz Strait is a thing of the past: IRGC official
- Iran has good ties with Tunisia’s groups: embassy
- 218 Iranian inmates abroad released over past 3 months
- Tehran, 5+1 group may resume talks
- Iran sees non-oil trade balance at zero next year
- Iran plans to ink $15 billion in oil, gas deals by March 2013
- Bahraini forces use tear gas on civilians
- Iraq celebrates U.S. withdrawal
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If You Voted for Obama in 2008 to Prove You’re Not a Racist, You Need to Vote for Someone Else in 2012 to Prove You’re Not an Idiot explains why voters in the United States need to elect someone besides Barack Obama to lead them. Whoever is elected President of the United States in 2012 will have to contend with the monumental problems that Obama’s misguided policies have caused both at home and abroad. One thing is certain, though. It should not be Barack Obama. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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http://www.americanthinker.com/
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- Two Silly Notions: Biofuel Mandates as Carbon Neutral and Rhino Horn Medicine
- Timshel, America
- The Angel Chorus in Judeo-Christian Civilization
- Embarrassed to be a Jew
- They Went. I Played Basketball.
- New TV Show Idea: All-American Christian
- Constitutional Education at Your Fingertips
- America: The Living Portrait of Dorian Gray
- United Nations and Israeli settlements
- Response to Robert Small
- A Simple Way to Think About the U.S. Debt and Deficit Problems
- Intellectual Freedom Buried Yet Again
- ‘Should the US cut off aid to Egyptian military?’
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http://www.weeklystandard.com/
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- Contain Your Surprise: Keith Olbermann Not Getting Along With Latest Employer
- Another Sununu Folly
- NBC Iowa Poll: Romney 23, Paul 21, Santorum 15, Perry 14, Gingrich 13
- The Daily Grind: Acts of War?
- Morning Jay: A Primer on the Iowa Caucus
- Des Moines Register Poll: Romney 24, Paul 22, Santorum 15
- The Company Ron Paul Keeps, Continued
- The Case for Gingrich’s Electability
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- Hard times, lean firms
- America will be a tad cheerier than Europe in 2012—but it should be so much better still
- Hose and dry
- The European Union gets tinkering with treaties
- Infrastruggles
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- Europe leaders warn of grim 2012
- Three big questions for the eurozone
- Recession ‘to return’ to Europe
- What really caused the eurozone crisis?
- How will the euro crisis end?
- Nasa satellite enters Moon orbit
- Explosives found at Texas airport
- Iran ‘tests medium-range missile’
- Nigerian ethnic clashes kill 50
- Obama signs Iran sanctions bill
- League dispute over Syria snipers
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- “Who is wise? He who learns from everyone.” – Talmud
- The “Arab Spring” and Its Impact on Israel
- Ron Paul Defends Iran
- Opposition leaders in Syria preparing for post-Assad era
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http://samsonblinded.org/news/
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- Obama’s Political Blitzkrieg
- Privatize the Schools
- Top 10 Funniest ‘Right-Sided’ Political Satire Videos of 2011
- Obama’s National Security ‘Not Top 10’ of 2011
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http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/
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- Co-Opting the US Department of Energy
- New Light on Jones’ Document Deletion Enterprise
- What Climategate 2.0 Says About The Prediction Of Multi-Decadal Regional Climate Change
- Addressing Criticisms of the UAH Temperature Dataset at 1/3 Century
- Canada Quit Kyoto, Must Now Quit IPCC
- Exposure of global warming deception goes viral
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- Arson alert in LA after attacks
- Istanbul concern at quake threat
- Nigeria’s president declares emergency
- Monitors dispute Syrian sniper incident
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Yahweh to Jeremiah—Jeremiah 16: 21
“Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.”
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If you haven’t been there already, you should take the opportunity to visit Natural Healthcare Store. Each product selected for sale at Natural Healthcare Store undergoes rigorous research to make sure that it is the highest quality at an affordable price.
Natural Healthcare Store carries skin care, hair care, and oral care products. Be sure to check out the Dead Sea products imported from Israel and support the Israeli economy with your purchases. Natural Healthcare Store carries makeup, deodorant, and detoxification products. It also carries supplements, weight loss products, and loose leaf tea. Rounding out its product mix, Natural Healthcare Store carries natural household cleaning products.
Katie and I believe strongly in healthy living, and we use the products. We’re proud to say that our daughter Melanie owns the store.
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http://www.commentarymagazine.com/
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- A New Year’s Resolution for Turkey and Hamas?
- Hypocritical Dems In No Position to Blast GOP Over Paul
- CAP Under Fire for Anti-Israel Comment About Sen. Kirk
- Sinking Gingrich Flails at Krauthammer
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.
God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.”
Exodus 3: 15
