Matthew 21:28
"But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard."
Jesus told a parable about a man who had two sons.
One day this man called his two sons and told them to go work in the vineyard. One son told his dad he was not going to work in the vineyard, but later he repented of his response and went and worked in the vineyard. The other son seemed to respond correctly to his father's command. He told his father that he would go, but we find that this son did not go. In this parable we find there are three interactions that will impact your life on a daily basis.
Attitude is the first impacting interaction. When you look at both of these sons, they both had two different attitudes. The first son had an attitude of rebellion and stubbornness, while the other son had an attitude of pleasing his father. We could spend pages on talking about different attitudes which we will not do, but I want you to understand that your attitude will impact your life.
You attitude to commands in imperative to how God uses you. I have found many Christians have the attitude that nobody is going to tell them what to do. This is the wrong attitude to have. I have heard some pride themselves in having a "little" rebelliousness inside. Having a rebellious attitude is nothing to be proud about, for rebellion is compared to witchcraft and idolatry in the Scriptures. You need to make sure you always have a right attitude when someone asks you to do something.
Answers are the second impacting interaction. There were two answers from these sons; one responded in a negative manner while the other responded in a right manner. Sometimes you can give the right answer, but give it in the wrong tone. I have often told people that you need to listen to yourself when you answer people. I know there have been times when my answer was not wrong, but the tone in my answer was wrong. People don't always know your heart, the only thing they can do is respond to your answer and the tone of it. Always make sure that you not only answer properly, but that you answer in the proper tone.
Actions are the third impacting interaction. It's interesting how the one son who had the right attitude and answer ended up having the wrong action, while the one who had the wrong attitude and answer had the right action. Following through on what you say you will do is a very important part of your credibility. If you say you are going to do something, then you better make sure you do it. Many people have great intentions of doing something, but their follow through is anemic. Your actions always speak louder than your words. If you don't follow through on what you say you will do, you will find people will lose confidence in you and will become frustrated to the point that they will stop depending on you.
All three of these interaction will impact your life. Each interaction can make or break your influence on someone's life. As a Christian you need to be sure that all three of these interactions are performed in a right manner. Both of these sons were right at one point, but they were wrong in another. The purpose of God teaching this parable was so that we could get all three of these areas right in our lives so that we can have the greatest impact on those whom we lead and on those who depend on us.