HOW DO YOU KNOW HIM?
Matthew 25:22-25 NKJV
22 He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' 23 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
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. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.'
This is part of the famous parable that Jesus told of the talents. The basics of the parable are that three servants were given their Lord's money. Each was given an amount according to what they could handle. One was given five talents, another two, and the third man was given one. The thing about the talents is that they were not given five dollars. A talent conservatively estimated in today's money would be around 135k. So one guy was given 675k, another 270k, and the last guy, who only got one talent, still had 135k to work with.
The men who were given the larger amounts worked with what they had and doubled the initial investment. One man returned 1,350,000, and the other returned 540k to their master. What was interesting was the response from their Lord. Both men were praised for their faithfulness, and both were given additional responsibility. The Lord did not compare them or minimize the return of the man given two talents. The Lord is completely fair and good and welcomed both men into His joy. This is a good master!
However, the man who received the one talent did not see his Lord as good. Rather, he saw the master as a hard man. And the servant did not stop there. He knew the master to also be a thief. Reaping what you have not sown is stealing. Gathering from another's sowing is being a thief. So this one servant knew his master to be hard and thieving.
The problem was that how this one servant knew his master impacted what this servant did with his master's goods. Because the servant knew the master wrong, it caused him to be afraid. So, instead of working with the money given to him, this servant buried the talent. Because of fear, the master did not gain a return on his investment. The sad thing is the one servant completely misjudged his master. The master was looking to reward his servants, not steal from them. But because this one servant had the wrong perspective, he was unfaithful with what had been entrusted to him.
APPLICATION
How we see or how we know the Lord can be a major influence in our lives. If we see the Lord as good and ready to bless and reward, we are empowered to use what talents and abilities He has given to us.
However, if we see the Lord as harsh and the One who takes and steals from us, then fear can set in, and we will draw back from serving Him or coming too close to Him. Not because of who He is but because of how we know Him.
The key to knowing God is seeing Him in His word. We cannot depend on feelings or even what others say. Look into His Word and see the God who sent His Son for us because He loves us. See the loving Father who has given us His Holy Spirit to help us and be our guide. See the God who deserves all of our attention and honor but does not force us into giving Him His due. Knowing Him as really, really good helps take the edge off the fear so prevalent in the world.
PRAYER
Father, I believe You are love, and You are good. I trust You with my eternity, and I trust You with my life.