The power of the human will built the pyramids, it started and ended wars, it drove men to write the great symphonies, it inspired men and women to invent the medicines that have helped eradicate many diseases; the human will has an incredible and also frightening capacity for determining the course of human events. It can also determine our individual destiny.
Terrifying and frightening may not be words we normally associate with the will of man. But, as indicated, the will of man also continues to be the source of incredible destruction throughout history. It is the will of man that perpetuates the horror of war, including a war on the womb.
Of course, we know God ultimately controls the course of history, and so we leave the eternal fate of every human soul in His hands
But what about our capacity for determining the fate of our own soul? What power do we have to influence our own final destiny?
The truth is each and every individual influences his or her ultimate destiny every day. We do this through the decisions we make and the actions we undertake as a result of our decisions.
“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not;’ but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir;’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “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 21:28-32)
The first son represents those who have wandered through their early life rather selfishly and perhaps even sinfully. But ultimately, these individuals experience a conversion of heart and turn their lives around and go to work in the vineyard.
The second son represents those who may have had the best of intentions and may even believe themselves to be righteous persons, but, like many these days, they refuse to accept the Father’s invitation to go and work in the vineyard.
The terrifying and frightening truth of this Scripture verse is that it makes clear that, although God has invited all of us to go out and work in the vineyard, not all of us will accept the invitation, even if we have told God and ourselves that we actually will respond to His call.
Beyond having lost our knowledge of the capacity of the human will, modern man has also forgotten the truly terrifying reality of the will’s capacity to lead us to our own destruction.
Too many in our society have become ignorant of, or indifferent to, the fact that we create our own destiny every day, by virtue of the decisions we make. And, as the Scripture verse makes clear, it does not matter what work we say we will do, it matters what work we actually do.
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. (Revelation 20:12)
There is less and less appreciation in our modern world for the Biblical reality of what we human beings were created for. We were created for one thing, to bring Glory to God, and to fulfill the unique and specific purpose He planned for us in this life. This is a remarkable gift, and we receive it by doing the work God called us to do.
For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. (Ephesians 2:10)
Now we should not misunderstand this passage. This does not mean that we work our way to heaven. Our eternal salvation is a gift, but like any gift, we must receive it and open it. We receive it in faith, and we open it through the good works we do.
God invited us to work in His vineyard in order for us to fulfill our purpose in this life, and the works of prayer, charity, sacrifice and practicing the virtues are our means of giving life to our faith in The Father’s gift.
So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. (James 2:17)
This week, let us pray that we will take seriously the call to work in the vineyard, for whatever time we may remaining.
Copyright © 2024, Deacon Mark Danis
Image credit: “The Parable of the Father and His Two Sons in the Vineyard, from The Story of Christ,” Georg Pencz, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons