"Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father" (Matthew 20:20-23)
Today's Morsel: Sometimes we may ask for something we desire when we are in an emotional state, and because our minds are fogged with perplexity of thoughts, we don't hear and understand the reply from the one we asked when it comes back to us. And we may miss the meaning of what they say to us. We need to ensure our minds stay clear at all times. When Esau asked Jacob to feed him with pottage, and Jacob said to him, "Give me your birthright," Esau probably wasn't thinking it through entirely. Because of his emotions, he wanted what Jacob had at the time to meet his own want. Then later in life he realized his mistake. I've had people say, "I never agreed to that." Or, "I never said that I would do that." But when the papers they signed were shown to them, they said, "Oh, well I don't remember doing that." Too late now. When the mother of James and John asked Jesus to allow her sons to sit the one on His right and the other on His left in His Kingdom, Jesus told them "Ye know not what you ask." In other words, I don't think you know what you are asking me. You think this is just a cake walk with glamour and spotlight attraction. But this is really about denying yourself and taking up your cross and following Me. This is all about dying to live. This is about self-less service. This is about drinking a bitter cup. And then Jesus said to them, "Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" I think they misunderstood again. I think they may have thought, If we agree, then He'll give us these positions. I don't think James and John understood the meaning of what they were being asked. They agreed, but Jesus told them they would be baptized and they would drink the cup, but to sit on His right and left was not His to give. And then Jesus told them, it is for those who it was prepared for. And this is who it is prepared, for Jesus said: "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:31-40). You can't do enough to earn your salvation, because it is freely given. There is a place prepared for us called heaven, but if you want to go there you have to keep your mind clear and stayed on Jesus.
Sing: Oh! There's a highway to heaven, none can walk up there, but the pure and heart. Oh! There's a highway to heaven, walking up the Kings, highway.
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