"The Present"

"Look not upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept." (S.O.S. 1:6)

  Keep in mind, this is about love. Something we must never forget, that love is not based upon our emotions or upon our own satisfaction; love, true love, is sacrificial and does not envy. Strange as it might seem, the connection here with what happens to the human heart that is changed by God, is oddly familiar with those things that get turned upside-down. The things that we once held up as meaningful and important, are replaced by things that we never gave the light of day.
  If there was anything I could have done differently, it would have been my choice to become successful in business, instead of going full time in ministry. The reason for how things turn out, as bad or as good as things might appear, is still something I believe God uses for His purposes. God's ways are not our ways, so there is really nothing that we can do to actually alter God's plans. In the end, God will win, God will still be seated upon the Throne, and every single knee will bow before the KING!
  That being said, there is still the matter of a life, because every life is special in the eyes of God. As the Bible clearly says, "For there is no respect of persons with God." (Romans 2:11) The things we do or do not do are clearly the things that are going to be judged by God; but the reason behind anything we do or do not do is the thing that will be counted for the most. Did we do it for this, or for that? Why and for what reason was it done? Why did we not do what we felt we should have done?
  The sinfulness of the human heart is beyond our understanding; although we think we have it all figured out, God will show us differently, by simply turning on the Light! Everything we once held dear, is all of the sudden changed and our presented with a whole new list of priorities. To make it a little more understandable, it might be to evaluate what might be the difference between substance and evidence. Which one counts the most? Is there really any big difference between them both?
  Another thing to think about, (in light of this nonsense,) is, what did Jesus mean when He said, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you." (Luke 17:6) Why even try! It seems so difficult to do anything right! "Oh ye of little faith!"
  If you what an easy answer: Nothing but Jesus...

"I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:14-17)