Isaiah 55:9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
As a father, I am constantly looking out for my son. I want to be sure that nothing bad happens to him. All of my desires are for his good. I want to see him prosper in his relationships, in his studies, and in his health. I want nothing but the best for my son.
Did you know that the same holds true for our heavenly Father? Too often we put the blame on God for bad things that happen. We have a mindset that, in His infinite wisdom, the hurt that we’re suffering, the loss that we’re experiencing, the depression that is dragging us down, is somehow God’s will for our lives. We say that His ways are higher, His thoughts are higher, and then saddle him for the hurt that we suffer.
We say prayers like, “Show me what you’re trying to teach me, LORD,” to mask our true opinion of God: that He’s purposefully hurting us to teach us something. It’s times like these that we should stop and think, “Would I do this to my child?” If the answer is yes, SEEK HELP! I’m assuming that your answer would be no. If you wouldn’t purposely cause hurt to your own child, why on earth would you think God would hurt you?
Jesus makes a connection to this when He’s teaching in Matthew 7. Christ makes the point: if we’re evil and know what is good to give, how much more does God know!
The truth is God’s ways are higher, His thoughts are higher than ours. So let’s take that to heart. Our way is to work and attempt to prove ourselves to a holy God. His way is to bear our burdens and justify us through His work, bearing our punishment in His own body, rather than laying it on upon us. Our thoughts are “do-do-do” but God’s thoughts are “It’s already done!”
What’s your desire? Are you looking for a healing in an area of your body? God’s desire is for your body to be completely restored. Are you hoping for a raise at work? God’s designing a promotion or maybe even a new career with greater benefits than you could possibly hope for! Are you thinking you’re not worth it or that life isn’t worth living? God’s thinking of Jesus and how He has made you worth it and given you new life!
It’s by the blood of Christ and the suffering in His sacrifice that we’re able to have all of these things. Whatever you think you want or desire, whatever way you think is best to get it, just remember this: God’s way is better and so is the result! When you think “good”, He thinks “great”. When you think “great”, He thinks “greater”. God’s thoughts for you are better than your thoughts for yourself; His plan for you is far greater than what you planned.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Righteous robe!
Zechariah 3:4
Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
Have you ever made a “to-do” list? I know that I have. First I stop and think about all of the things that need to be done. Then I write them down. After I write them down, I look them over and typically become overwhelmed by the amount of work that I’ve just given myself.
As I go through my day I continually check things off of my list. Vacuuming: done. Mow the lawn: done. Wash the dog: done. And so it goes throughout the day: I work, I check off, I work, I check off. Every once in awhile I’ll complete my list, but for the most part, I don’t get everything done. I nearly always run out of day before the list is complete. So I get to go to bed with the knowledge that tomorrow’s list already has things on it, and tomorrow hasn’t even started yet!
All too often we put this list mentality into our Christian living. We make a list of “to-do’s” for the day and we get to work on it, continually striving to achieve completeness by completing a list of tasks.
I’m not sure what’s on your list, but maybe some of the following items appear there daily: stop swearing, no pornography, no drugs, no alcohol, love my wife, respect my husband, don’t exasperate my children, read my Bible, pray, confess, confess again, confess some more. If this sounds like you, know that you’re not alone!
Working on your list isn’t what makes you righteous or complete as far as God is concerned. There is an enemy who wants you to believe that you’re never good enough, but God wants you to know that He’s made you good enough. It’s not by your works or deeds, your successes or failures, but only by the grace offered through Jesus Christ.
God wants you to know that, because of Jesus, He has removed your iniquity and replaced it with Christ’s righteousness. There is nothing that you need to do, no list to try to accomplish, that will give you the peace that comes from knowing Jesus has already done it all for you!
Christ became our sin so that we could become His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). God has ordered your sin and your unrighteousness to be removed because of the blood of Jesus Christ. In return, He has given you His robe of righteousness, His blessings, His forgiveness, His completeness. There is nothing for you to do but accept the gift and live in His grace!
Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
Have you ever made a “to-do” list? I know that I have. First I stop and think about all of the things that need to be done. Then I write them down. After I write them down, I look them over and typically become overwhelmed by the amount of work that I’ve just given myself.
As I go through my day I continually check things off of my list. Vacuuming: done. Mow the lawn: done. Wash the dog: done. And so it goes throughout the day: I work, I check off, I work, I check off. Every once in awhile I’ll complete my list, but for the most part, I don’t get everything done. I nearly always run out of day before the list is complete. So I get to go to bed with the knowledge that tomorrow’s list already has things on it, and tomorrow hasn’t even started yet!
All too often we put this list mentality into our Christian living. We make a list of “to-do’s” for the day and we get to work on it, continually striving to achieve completeness by completing a list of tasks.
I’m not sure what’s on your list, but maybe some of the following items appear there daily: stop swearing, no pornography, no drugs, no alcohol, love my wife, respect my husband, don’t exasperate my children, read my Bible, pray, confess, confess again, confess some more. If this sounds like you, know that you’re not alone!
Working on your list isn’t what makes you righteous or complete as far as God is concerned. There is an enemy who wants you to believe that you’re never good enough, but God wants you to know that He’s made you good enough. It’s not by your works or deeds, your successes or failures, but only by the grace offered through Jesus Christ.
God wants you to know that, because of Jesus, He has removed your iniquity and replaced it with Christ’s righteousness. There is nothing that you need to do, no list to try to accomplish, that will give you the peace that comes from knowing Jesus has already done it all for you!
Christ became our sin so that we could become His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). God has ordered your sin and your unrighteousness to be removed because of the blood of Jesus Christ. In return, He has given you His robe of righteousness, His blessings, His forgiveness, His completeness. There is nothing for you to do but accept the gift and live in His grace!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Righteous judgments
Psalm 119:7
I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.
I think there is some confusion about God’s righteous judgements. Some people believe that God’s righteous judgements will be eventually seen when He makes His triumphal return as Jesus Christ, King of kings. Others see God’s righteous judgements as what happened to the world in the time of Noah or what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.
While these are righteous judgements made by God, they don’t give the learner (in this case you and me) a sense of uprightness or right standing with God. In fact, I would say that they do the opposite.
When I hear about God’s destruction of two cities for their sin or His flooding of the entire earth because of sin, it doesn’t make me feel like praising Him. It makes me afraid of God; I become fearful of what He could do to me because of my sin. After all, He is holy and just and I am sinful by nature. Regardless of how hard I try to be good and do the right thing, I still fail.
Also, wouldn’t it stand to reason that feeling good about God’s destruction in wrath of a city would make me prideful? It would be as though I thought I was better than them. I saw their punishment and I can praise God for His destruction of the wicked. This doesn’t sound very Christ-like, so I’m going with the assumption that it’s wrong.
The truth is God’s ultimate righteous judgements were carried out and borne in the perfect body of Jesus Christ. It was on His back that Christ bore our sicknesses and diseases, a curse for our inability to obey the Law. It was on the cross that Christ bore the fullness of a Holy Father’s wrath as God turned His back on His Son and set His face on all mankind.
When you, me, or David learn about God’s righteous judgements, when we learn about His forever grace, we are given a reason to praise His name. When we understand that Jesus bore the full wrath of God so that we won’t see any of His anger, and we come to the knowledge that God isn’t mad at us because He exhausted His anger in Jesus, we can feel uplifted. When we understand that Christ has taken our sin and imparted to us His righteousness, we can rest assured that we are in a right standing with the Father.
It is because of Jesus that we’re able to praise God. It was because David had an understanding of grace that he was able to praise God. That’s something to sing about!
I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.
I think there is some confusion about God’s righteous judgements. Some people believe that God’s righteous judgements will be eventually seen when He makes His triumphal return as Jesus Christ, King of kings. Others see God’s righteous judgements as what happened to the world in the time of Noah or what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.
While these are righteous judgements made by God, they don’t give the learner (in this case you and me) a sense of uprightness or right standing with God. In fact, I would say that they do the opposite.
When I hear about God’s destruction of two cities for their sin or His flooding of the entire earth because of sin, it doesn’t make me feel like praising Him. It makes me afraid of God; I become fearful of what He could do to me because of my sin. After all, He is holy and just and I am sinful by nature. Regardless of how hard I try to be good and do the right thing, I still fail.
Also, wouldn’t it stand to reason that feeling good about God’s destruction in wrath of a city would make me prideful? It would be as though I thought I was better than them. I saw their punishment and I can praise God for His destruction of the wicked. This doesn’t sound very Christ-like, so I’m going with the assumption that it’s wrong.
The truth is God’s ultimate righteous judgements were carried out and borne in the perfect body of Jesus Christ. It was on His back that Christ bore our sicknesses and diseases, a curse for our inability to obey the Law. It was on the cross that Christ bore the fullness of a Holy Father’s wrath as God turned His back on His Son and set His face on all mankind.
When you, me, or David learn about God’s righteous judgements, when we learn about His forever grace, we are given a reason to praise His name. When we understand that Jesus bore the full wrath of God so that we won’t see any of His anger, and we come to the knowledge that God isn’t mad at us because He exhausted His anger in Jesus, we can feel uplifted. When we understand that Christ has taken our sin and imparted to us His righteousness, we can rest assured that we are in a right standing with the Father.
It is because of Jesus that we’re able to praise God. It was because David had an understanding of grace that he was able to praise God. That’s something to sing about!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Love is...
1 John 4:8
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Weddings are a great time to hear scripture. Sadly, in a lot of cases, weddings are the only time some people hear scripture. That being the case, it’s crucial that the scripture read is used to impact the lives of the hearer for Christ. But, in order to do that, the focus has to be turned away from the bride and groom and placed on who Christ is.
There’s a passage in 1 Corinthians about love. This passage lists out all of the charistics of perfect love and it is most often read at weddings. Love suffers long and is kind; it does not envy; love is not puffed up. Love does not behave rudely, seek its own, is not provoked, and thinks no evil. Love does not rejoice in sinfulness, but rejoices in truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails! (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
This passage is beautiful in describing love, but all too often, it’s used as a challenge to the newlyweds. This is a list of what love is. Now you have a list of what to expect from one another. An challenge of this magnitude on the first day of married life may be the underlying cause to why the divorce rate in both the church and the world is the same: over 50%!
These are unreasonable expectations! Thinking that you could consistently meet such high marks as a husband or wife can only lead to guilt and disappointment when you don’t. Shame and regret come from missing the mark. And, as husband or wife, to expect your significant other to always meet these expectations is just as ridiculous. If you can’t meet them, how is he or she going to meet them?
Unreasonable expectations that can’t be met by either party will only end in strife, guilt, shame, and fighting. This is why it’s crucial to use scripture appropriately! All of the attributes listed in 1 Corinthians would be great to bring into a marriage, but no person can ever do that.
God is love; the Bible makes it clear. When we discuss love’s attributes we’re actually talking about God. Yes, possessing the characteristics listed in 1 Corinthians would be great, but attempting to achieve them through our own human effort is futile. If love is all of those things (kind, patient, never failing), and God is love, and Christ is God, and we’re in Christ, then it is Christ who is loving the world from within us (Galatians 2:20).
This is what we need to realize: without Christ we cannot display the attributes of His perfect love to the world. We can try to be all of those things, but we’ll continually fail. Failure is the Devil’s hope for our love. When we fail to meet the expectations of perfection we let our loved ones down.
But Christ’s desire is for His love to be in us. His desire is for us to recognize that we can’t love perfectly like 1 Corinthians describes. He wants us to rely on His love. In so doing, He’ll enable us to love others. It’s not by our effort; it’s not even our love. It’s Christ’s perfect love!
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Weddings are a great time to hear scripture. Sadly, in a lot of cases, weddings are the only time some people hear scripture. That being the case, it’s crucial that the scripture read is used to impact the lives of the hearer for Christ. But, in order to do that, the focus has to be turned away from the bride and groom and placed on who Christ is.
There’s a passage in 1 Corinthians about love. This passage lists out all of the charistics of perfect love and it is most often read at weddings. Love suffers long and is kind; it does not envy; love is not puffed up. Love does not behave rudely, seek its own, is not provoked, and thinks no evil. Love does not rejoice in sinfulness, but rejoices in truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails! (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
This passage is beautiful in describing love, but all too often, it’s used as a challenge to the newlyweds. This is a list of what love is. Now you have a list of what to expect from one another. An challenge of this magnitude on the first day of married life may be the underlying cause to why the divorce rate in both the church and the world is the same: over 50%!
These are unreasonable expectations! Thinking that you could consistently meet such high marks as a husband or wife can only lead to guilt and disappointment when you don’t. Shame and regret come from missing the mark. And, as husband or wife, to expect your significant other to always meet these expectations is just as ridiculous. If you can’t meet them, how is he or she going to meet them?
Unreasonable expectations that can’t be met by either party will only end in strife, guilt, shame, and fighting. This is why it’s crucial to use scripture appropriately! All of the attributes listed in 1 Corinthians would be great to bring into a marriage, but no person can ever do that.
God is love; the Bible makes it clear. When we discuss love’s attributes we’re actually talking about God. Yes, possessing the characteristics listed in 1 Corinthians would be great, but attempting to achieve them through our own human effort is futile. If love is all of those things (kind, patient, never failing), and God is love, and Christ is God, and we’re in Christ, then it is Christ who is loving the world from within us (Galatians 2:20).
This is what we need to realize: without Christ we cannot display the attributes of His perfect love to the world. We can try to be all of those things, but we’ll continually fail. Failure is the Devil’s hope for our love. When we fail to meet the expectations of perfection we let our loved ones down.
But Christ’s desire is for His love to be in us. His desire is for us to recognize that we can’t love perfectly like 1 Corinthians describes. He wants us to rely on His love. In so doing, He’ll enable us to love others. It’s not by our effort; it’s not even our love. It’s Christ’s perfect love!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sanctification
Exodus 29:43
And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.
The world, and in a lot of cases, the church, wants you to believe that right doing brings about right living and thus makes you a righteous person. The idea is that your actions speak to what’s in your heart. Most of the time this is true, but there are certain instances where actions, though seemingly righteous, are just actions. They aren’t actions done in a spirit of righteousness; they are actions done because that was the only thing that could be done.
A preacher I recently listened to presented this example: consider an ugly man. I’m not talking about your everyday, not so good looking guy, but a hideous monster of a person. This man, who has no chance of a woman ever desiring to be with him, not even for money, is forced by circumstances beyond his control to keep the law. But in his heart his desire is to commit adultery with every woman he sees. Is he righteous because of his seemingly righteous behavior? Certainly not!
The truth is that righteousness is a state of being, not an act of doing. Out of being righteous come righteous deeds, but doing righteous deeds doesn’t make you righteous.
When God met with the children of Israel it was in the tabernacle. It was a tent in the desert. The tent itself was made by the best craftsmen in the land. It was filled with beautiful works made by the hands of man. But it wasn’t made holy or sanctified by these things. It was God Himself who sanctified (made holy) the tabernacle. It was God’s holiness that brought glory to the works of man. It was God’s holiness that made the temple a sacred place.
Under the New Covenant, under grace, we have become the temple of God. It is in our own bodies that He meets with us, communes with us, and lives with us (1 Corinthians 6:19). This fellowship between us and God is not because we have done anything to become righteous. It’s not our works, our lifestyle, our giving, or our service that causes God to dwell in this temple. It is only by the blood of Jesus Christ that we are able to be the tent of meeting. It is only by His perfection and gift of righteousness that we can have our own bodies as a place to meet with God!
Jesus is the Glory of God. It is Christ who sanctifies us; it is Christ who makes us righteous. Knowing that He has given us the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17) empowers us to live an effortlessly righteous life based in, on, and around the finished work of Jesus Christ.
And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.
The world, and in a lot of cases, the church, wants you to believe that right doing brings about right living and thus makes you a righteous person. The idea is that your actions speak to what’s in your heart. Most of the time this is true, but there are certain instances where actions, though seemingly righteous, are just actions. They aren’t actions done in a spirit of righteousness; they are actions done because that was the only thing that could be done.
A preacher I recently listened to presented this example: consider an ugly man. I’m not talking about your everyday, not so good looking guy, but a hideous monster of a person. This man, who has no chance of a woman ever desiring to be with him, not even for money, is forced by circumstances beyond his control to keep the law. But in his heart his desire is to commit adultery with every woman he sees. Is he righteous because of his seemingly righteous behavior? Certainly not!
The truth is that righteousness is a state of being, not an act of doing. Out of being righteous come righteous deeds, but doing righteous deeds doesn’t make you righteous.
When God met with the children of Israel it was in the tabernacle. It was a tent in the desert. The tent itself was made by the best craftsmen in the land. It was filled with beautiful works made by the hands of man. But it wasn’t made holy or sanctified by these things. It was God Himself who sanctified (made holy) the tabernacle. It was God’s holiness that brought glory to the works of man. It was God’s holiness that made the temple a sacred place.
Under the New Covenant, under grace, we have become the temple of God. It is in our own bodies that He meets with us, communes with us, and lives with us (1 Corinthians 6:19). This fellowship between us and God is not because we have done anything to become righteous. It’s not our works, our lifestyle, our giving, or our service that causes God to dwell in this temple. It is only by the blood of Jesus Christ that we are able to be the tent of meeting. It is only by His perfection and gift of righteousness that we can have our own bodies as a place to meet with God!
Jesus is the Glory of God. It is Christ who sanctifies us; it is Christ who makes us righteous. Knowing that He has given us the gift of righteousness (Romans 5:17) empowers us to live an effortlessly righteous life based in, on, and around the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Show me Jesus!
Exodus 25:30
And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.
Have you ever asked yourself, “What does God want from me?” The list could be endless. A lot of people will tell you that God wants your money or your family. Others will tell you He wants your job or your status. The idea is that God wants all that you have in order to know that you love Him.
The truth is God doesn’t want (or need) anything from you. In fact, God has actually given you all that He has: Jesus Christ. What God desires from you is your acknowledgement of Jesus and your continual focus on Him.
When God instructed Moses in how to build the Ark of the Covenant, the sanctuary, the lampstand, and the tables, He was very clear in one thing. God said, “You shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.” God’s showbread is Jesus Christ. His desire is that you will always lay before Him Jesus Christ.
But what about my suffering with this disease or my need for a job? Doesn’t God have a plan for these things? Yes, His plan is through Jesus! It is only by laying Jesus’ finished work as your sacrifice continually before God that He is able to “fix” all the other problems in your life.
God wants to continually see Jesus before Him. He is the Showbread (John 6:35). This is what makes prayer effective and gives us hope! When we pray, whether praying for healing, a job, a family member, or financial breakthrough, our prayer should always begin with Jesus: “Father God Jesus, Your Son, died for my sins, my healing, and my restoration. He became sin so that I can be righteous. Thank you for Christ. Because of what He has done, I’m believing You for...”
Prayers like this show the heart of the petitioner. They show a focus on the finished work of Jesus Christ and they continually lay His perfection, His life, before God. It is because of Christ that we can hold to the promise of Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
So, what does God want? He wants you to focus on Jesus. He wants you to remind Him of Jesus and in so doing, He’ll give you the desires of your heart. Heath, restored relationships, financial freedom, employment security, whatever the desire of your heart, through Jesus, it is yours!
And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.
Have you ever asked yourself, “What does God want from me?” The list could be endless. A lot of people will tell you that God wants your money or your family. Others will tell you He wants your job or your status. The idea is that God wants all that you have in order to know that you love Him.
The truth is God doesn’t want (or need) anything from you. In fact, God has actually given you all that He has: Jesus Christ. What God desires from you is your acknowledgement of Jesus and your continual focus on Him.
When God instructed Moses in how to build the Ark of the Covenant, the sanctuary, the lampstand, and the tables, He was very clear in one thing. God said, “You shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.” God’s showbread is Jesus Christ. His desire is that you will always lay before Him Jesus Christ.
But what about my suffering with this disease or my need for a job? Doesn’t God have a plan for these things? Yes, His plan is through Jesus! It is only by laying Jesus’ finished work as your sacrifice continually before God that He is able to “fix” all the other problems in your life.
God wants to continually see Jesus before Him. He is the Showbread (John 6:35). This is what makes prayer effective and gives us hope! When we pray, whether praying for healing, a job, a family member, or financial breakthrough, our prayer should always begin with Jesus: “Father God Jesus, Your Son, died for my sins, my healing, and my restoration. He became sin so that I can be righteous. Thank you for Christ. Because of what He has done, I’m believing You for...”
Prayers like this show the heart of the petitioner. They show a focus on the finished work of Jesus Christ and they continually lay His perfection, His life, before God. It is because of Christ that we can hold to the promise of Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
So, what does God want? He wants you to focus on Jesus. He wants you to remind Him of Jesus and in so doing, He’ll give you the desires of your heart. Heath, restored relationships, financial freedom, employment security, whatever the desire of your heart, through Jesus, it is yours!
Monday, July 2, 2012
Good and faithful!
Matthew 25:24
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.”
We all want to hear Christ say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” But what do we have to do in order to hear those words? This is a question that all too often leads to a misunderstanding of living by the grace of God, and can actually cause a person to be put back under the rule of law.
Hearing those words from Jesus doesn’t hinge on you doing things for Him. Instead, it hinges on you understanding what He has done for you. Christ is pleased with your works when they come from your proper understanding of who He is and what He’s done.
There were three servants in this parable. The first was given five talents (a sum of money). The second was given two talents, and the third was given one talent. Immediately after giving this money to his servants, the master departed. He left no instructions as to what to do with the money. He didn’t leave a to-do list. He simply gave them their allotted sum, according to their abilities, and left.
When the master returned he went to each servant and asked what they had done with money he had given them. The first servant used the five talents to earn five more. He returned ten talents to his master. The second servant used the two talents and was able to earn two more. He returned four talents to his master.
Then came the third servant. The third servant, who didn’t believe the same way about his master as the first two, had taken his talent and hidden it in the ground. When the master required it back, he let slip his true opinion of his master by saying, “I knew you to be a hard man.” The master was upset and took away what he had, giving it to the first servant, and he cast out the unprofitable servant.
The first two servants in this story, when asked by their master for the talents back responded by saying, “Lord, you delivered to me...” They truly knew who their master was. They knew that he loved them, trusted them, and provided for them. Out of their love for him, they served and profited him much. But the third servant answered, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man.” He didn’t love his master; he reviled him. He had a negative opinion of him. He didn’t understand who the master really was. As a result he was afraid and served poorly. He was cast out because he did not believe the truth about his master.
This parable isn’t about service. Service to the Master (Jesus) is a result of knowing how much He loves you. It’s not a way to gain His love. This parable is about faith; it’s about who you believe God to be. This is why the master never said, “Well done, thou good and frugal.” Do you believe God to be a rewarder (Hebrews 11:6) or a tyrant?
If you want to hear those words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” then you have to first believe the right way about your Master. God is not a tyrant; He is not a hard man. God doesn’t want you living in fear of Him. He wants you living a victorious and prosperous life, utilizing all that He has given you through Jesus Christ.
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.”
We all want to hear Christ say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” But what do we have to do in order to hear those words? This is a question that all too often leads to a misunderstanding of living by the grace of God, and can actually cause a person to be put back under the rule of law.
Hearing those words from Jesus doesn’t hinge on you doing things for Him. Instead, it hinges on you understanding what He has done for you. Christ is pleased with your works when they come from your proper understanding of who He is and what He’s done.
There were three servants in this parable. The first was given five talents (a sum of money). The second was given two talents, and the third was given one talent. Immediately after giving this money to his servants, the master departed. He left no instructions as to what to do with the money. He didn’t leave a to-do list. He simply gave them their allotted sum, according to their abilities, and left.
When the master returned he went to each servant and asked what they had done with money he had given them. The first servant used the five talents to earn five more. He returned ten talents to his master. The second servant used the two talents and was able to earn two more. He returned four talents to his master.
Then came the third servant. The third servant, who didn’t believe the same way about his master as the first two, had taken his talent and hidden it in the ground. When the master required it back, he let slip his true opinion of his master by saying, “I knew you to be a hard man.” The master was upset and took away what he had, giving it to the first servant, and he cast out the unprofitable servant.
The first two servants in this story, when asked by their master for the talents back responded by saying, “Lord, you delivered to me...” They truly knew who their master was. They knew that he loved them, trusted them, and provided for them. Out of their love for him, they served and profited him much. But the third servant answered, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man.” He didn’t love his master; he reviled him. He had a negative opinion of him. He didn’t understand who the master really was. As a result he was afraid and served poorly. He was cast out because he did not believe the truth about his master.
This parable isn’t about service. Service to the Master (Jesus) is a result of knowing how much He loves you. It’s not a way to gain His love. This parable is about faith; it’s about who you believe God to be. This is why the master never said, “Well done, thou good and frugal.” Do you believe God to be a rewarder (Hebrews 11:6) or a tyrant?
If you want to hear those words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” then you have to first believe the right way about your Master. God is not a tyrant; He is not a hard man. God doesn’t want you living in fear of Him. He wants you living a victorious and prosperous life, utilizing all that He has given you through Jesus Christ.
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