"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58)

Behold The Man!

Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, "Behold the man"! (John 19:1-5 KJV)

Krystal Meyers - The Beauty of Grace

Your Concept of God Just Might Be the Problem!

Originally Published: October 4, 2007

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. `Master,’ he said, `I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “`Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:24-30

Whoa! I hope you are reading all there is to be read into this parable. You see, Jesus is speaking of His kingdom and His servants. This man was a chosen believer and follower of Jesus Christ! Saved, sanctified and gifted like all believers. Sadly, this man did not recognize the heart and intent of His Master. Indeed, his skewed perception of the very character and the person of his Master got him into the worst of all places–utter darkness!

Now, one simply can’t use this parable to support the claim that a believer can “lose” his salvation. Salvation is a free gift of God–brought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ! God is not an liar, and He is called Faithful!

However, when we appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ any work or works done in our flesh that bring honor and glory to our Lord will be justly rewarded. Yes, some will receive greater honor and position, but all are saved and gloriously freed to enter into the glory of our Lord–even if it were as by fire! (1 Corinthians 3:9-15 and 2 Corinthians 5:10)

Oh, we are witness to a bitter lesson hard-learned by the poor servant in this parable! The sad result of coming to His Lord emptied-handed was that this servant was cast or positioned to ”exoteros skotos”, an exterior place of obscurity in God’s kingdom. Now, if you have ever been in a place where you have pondered your own “what if’s” or your own “what could have been’s” then you can fully understand why this servant and others like him find themselves in a place of weeping and gnashing their teeth. A place of–”if only”!

If we are not careful this is exactly where our own misconceptions toward God and His plans and purposes for our lives can lead us–stumbling around in total darkness–completely oblivious to the goodness, mercy and faithfulness of our God! Yes, even when it stares us right in the face!

This man, this servant thought his Master hard–a harsh taskmaster. Demanding, unmerciful, quick to judge and quick with retribution. He viewed his Master as One to be feared! His view was sorely tainted because he attributed to his Master the earthly characteristics of mere humanity. Yes, it may be true that this servant may have learned these ”earthly” or “human” attributes under the most dire of circumstances, or, worse through his own sin nature! Oh, beloved, this is never, ever going to wash, or hold up under the judgment of Christ! Why? Because it was Jesus Christ, the God-Man Who came to this earth, took on flesh, suffered and died upon a hated cross to reveal the true heart of the Father to us!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!” (John 3:16)

God loved this servant and meant him only good! Why else give him any gift? This servant failed to move past his misconceptions of God to the truth about God–God is love and God loves us! He never grew up in the Lord.

Misunderstanding God’s intent can cause us to try to hide or ”bury” many things; our gifts, our talents, even our sin. Sound familiar? It should because this is just what happened to Adam and Eve once satan tricked them and their eyes were opened to the “knowledge of good and evil.” They, too, tried to hide their sin from God–with just about as much success!

Come on. You and I can relate. How often have we waited for that frying pan, that jackhammer, boulder or mountain to come crashing down upon our heads? How many times have we accused God of evil towards us, even if only in the deepest recesses of our hearts? Okay, maybe it’s just me!

Anyway, for me, I think this “hard” concept of Almighty God developed in my early childhood years. Parents too often fail to realize that they play a major role in demonstrating the attributes of God to their children. Heavy responsibility I know, but so true. As children we learn the Godly characteristics of unconditional love, nuturing, and acceptance, We learn to develop a God-sense of value and worth. Our parents teach us the concept of right and wrong as well as the probable consequences of wrong choices. We learn the value of correction and discipline all within the family environment. In learning these early attributes of God, we develop the ability to readily respond first to the God-given authority of our parents, then to our Almighty God in reverent fear, obedience, respect, honor and love.

Apparently, this servant had not learn these vital truths about God! Thank goodness, this is only a parable–an illustrative story. A story that portrays truth–truth with a warning! Oh, dear one, a warning not to miss your blessing–your reward! A warning not to distrust or accuse your God!

Unfortunately we also have to touch on the fact that for too many of us, our early “church” experiences can help mis-shape our concept of God. For me, “church” only reinforced what I was already learning in my home environment. Sadly, the concept of God’s harsh retribution was reinforced–Sunday after Sunday!

Now, I could stop right there and place the blame for any misconceptions I may have about God on the shoulders of my parents and the “church”. Wrong! Again, that is just what Adam and Eve tried to do. They didn’t get away with that one either! (Genesis 3)

Beloved, once the idea of God has entered our thought process and seed has been “planted” in our hearts, we have to accept the responsibility to ever move forward to discover Biblical truth for ourselves! Caution: Just because you choose to believe something doesn’t necessary constitute that belief as being “truth”! “Study to show thyself approved”! Makes sure your “beliefs” line up with the Word of God!

An example of this is that this servant stated that his Master “…harvested where he had not sown and gathered where he had not scattered seed.” Wrong!

God introduced the concept of sowing and reaping! We have only to go back to the book of Genesis to see this God-given concept laid out for us and for all creation.

“Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” (Genesis 1:11)

“So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” (Genesis 1:21-22)

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:27-28)

If you know anything about reproduction, then you know that every plant and living thing reproduces either through a seed or egg. A seed is sown and reaps of its own kind! The egg is fertilized and reproduces of its own kind.

Oh, God is the great ”Sower” of the universe and everything in it! Beloved, He fully intends to “reap” or bring forth a mighty harvest–reaped from the blood, sweat and tears of His own dear Son, Jesus the Christ! Count on it!

We can’t miss another great truth in this parable. I was recently listening to someone explaining sowing and reaping. He stated that a farmer plants a seed (sows) and is responsible to make sure that he does everything within his ability to ensure that he reaps a crop. However, this is never a guarantee because it is always God who brings forth the harvest! A farmer cannot reap without God and we cannot increase our abilities, gifts and talents without God! Like Jesus said, sometimes tenfold, sometimes a hundred fold. This servant probably understood that concept of reaping and sowing, but he failed to believe that God would love him enough to perform that great miracle for him. Pity!

Oh, let’s not make the same mistake. Fear not! Trust in your God! He is Faithful Who has called you!

Jesus Christ revealed through the study of God’s Word!

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