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Day 280, or October 7th. Don't miss out. Our

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thoughts today come from Matthew 22, verse 14.

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For many are invited, but few are chosen. First,

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the big picture surrounding this verse. As we

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enter the last week in the earthly life of Jesus,

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there is still much to be taught by Jesus and

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learned by his followers. Jesus enters Jerusalem

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on his triumphal entry, before cleansing the

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temple and denouncing it as a den of robbers,

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which should be a house of prayer. He quotes

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the prophet Jeremiah, who said this many years

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earlier. As you read the words of Jesus, it's

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amazing how many times he quotes the prophets

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and other parts of the Hebrew scriptures. He

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is truly the fulfilment of all that is promised

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in our Old Testament. And now today's action

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step. Our verse today reveals the old chestnut

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of whether we have a choice in responding to

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God or are some chosen and others ignored. I

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knew a pastor some years ago. who believed that

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preaching the gospel was not always an act of

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mercy, because some of the people who heard the

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words of eternal life were not amongst the chosen,

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and therefore it was cruel in the extreme to

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tease them with a gift that was not available

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to them. I couldn't disagree more. Does God choose

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us? Yes, I believe He does. Do we have an opportunity

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to choose Him? Yes, I believe we do. So how do

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you reconcile this apparent contradiction? I

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remember seeing a picture when I was a child,

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showing an archway above which were the words,

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Come unto me and be saved. Next to this picture

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was a second one, showing the archway from the

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other side. Above it was written, Chosen before

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the foundation of the world. We need to see both

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sides, otherwise we will never understand it,

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and the concept of free will never makes sense.

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If you suspect God is calling you, then choose

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to respond by receiving his gift of eternal life

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today. Check out how to do it on day 21 of this

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audiobook. Choose this day whom you will serve.