Unfortunately, many people hold a distorted perception of God. The Parable of the Three Servants teaches us how to use the gifts God has given us well. Thus, the accusations the servant makes against his Master are the same as people often make of God.
Matthew 25: 24 Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ [1]
These are serious accusations. Just as the servant declared his Master harsh, many people picture God the same way. If we think God is harsh and unfair, we will not trust Him and will try to avoid Him. As we look at the stories in the Bible, we find that God loves us and has a plan to restore our relationship with Him through Jesus. John 3: 16 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.[2]
Exploiter or Lord of All?
The third servant accused his Master of harvesting crops he didn’t plant or work. In essence, this amounts to exploitation. Did God create us to use us as His slaves? This mindset leads us to a fear-based inactive faith. Many see God as an old man with a large stick just waiting for us to make a wrong move so He can punish us. As a result, we are too afraid to do anything.
If we look closely at the parable, we observe that the third servant’s accusations act as an excuse for his own irresponsibility. It was easier to accuse the Master of bad behavior than to admit he was in the wrong. We often do the same with the character of God. Scripture describes God as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Psalm 103: 8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. [3]
Many would say that the God of the Old Testament is angry and judgmental. True, there is judgment there. But if we look closely, that judgment came only after God had warned them through the prophets and continued to pursue His people to bring them back to Him. Judgment comes only when the people rebel and refuse to honor God. The Lord of All is just and punishes the wicked who refuse to repent.
Re-evaluate Misconceptions about God
A distorted perception of God holds us back from being bold in our faith. All God asks of us is to serve in His Kingdom to the best of our ability. If we refuse to use our gifts for His Kingdom, it reveals our lack of love for God because we don’t care if we accomplish anything for Him. When we align our view of God with Biblical truth, we find that we can trust Him enough to take risks for His glory. We want to re-evaluate any misconceptions about God that hold us back from being bold as we use our gifts to build His Kingdom. All our time, talents, and money are not ours. They are gifts from God, and we are the caretakers. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what God has given us, we are in rebellion and subject to punishment. Don’t let a distorted perception of God stop you from working in His Kingdom. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/faithfulness-with-what-is-entrusted
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.