“few are chosen???” – Matthew 20:16
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Am I going to make it in? Am I good enough for God’s kingdom?
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We’re so hard on ourselves aren’t we?
It’s so easy to wonder if we’re doing enough?
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At first glance, that verse would suggest that our Heavenly Father’s kingdom is exclusive … that only a foreordained, select few are invited.
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But the Savior was actually again teaching the great INCLUSIVITY of God’s kingdom.
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Christ constantly sought to correct the misunderstanding that the kingdom of Heaven is restricted to those only of great wealth and social, political, or religious status.
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Lost sheep
lost coins
prodigal sons
humble publicans
forgiving sins to social outcasts
children as the standard for entering the kingdom of God
Good Samaritans vs selfish priests,
… and now …
laborers in a vineyard.
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Christ’s message was consistent … wealth, power, and social status do not get you into heaven.
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So what does matter then?
What differentiates the “called” from the “chosen”?
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Elder David A Bednar taught …
“God does not have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added. He does not limit “the chosen” to a restricted few. Rather, it is our hearts and our aspirations and our obedience which definitively determine whether we are counted as one of God’s chosen.” – “The Tender Mercies of the Lord”
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For all of us who wonder if our frequent shortcomings have somehow disqualified us for Christ’s love … consider this reminder from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.
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“… however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.”
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Christ’s invitation is to ALL OF US … even if it’s the eleventh hour.
It is the most INCLUSIVE invitation ever extended.
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He loves us! He wants us!
We get to choose to come!
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All Christ needs is our humility.
… He can and will do all the rest!
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#ComeFollowMe #LDS