A GREAT KING’S REWARD IS AS HE IS

“For I am a great king, says Jehovah of Hosts, and My name is feared among the nations…but with great mercies I will gather you”. Mal 1:14; Is.54:7

If we find a job and work, one expects only as far as his own work and capacities can get him to do. Whether we work in a great company or just in a small enterprise, we expect to receive as far as we believe we are able to carry out. Our salary will pay only as much as we are able to do well through, if the employer is just and righteous.

Nevertheless, we will fight and demand as far as we are engaged to receive, if we are ungodly. This is how things work out in this present age, for it never counts as honor to give away, but to receive. Proud people seldom receive more then they believe they deserve - even when they do. A humble soul receives more or even less than he has worked for and will think it is good still. Pride keeps people away from receiving, just as it is labeled and constrained to demand upon whatever it believes it deserves. The heart that demands is the same as the one which refuses when proud. Therefore, there are certain contradictions in worldly men which may seem strange, yet a man that believes not truth, will easily believe a lie wholeheartedly. A proud man refuses a truth just as much as he is able to receive any lie. He is accepting towards lies because he is not truthful or, if he is, still hangs on to earthly ways of doing things, ignoring Jesus' prayer which said "On earth as it is done in heaven".

Anyway, a man that is bound to receive as far as he works, will also work as far as he can – he will never think higher, reason higher than that. And because of gain, he might never be able to aim his heart fully to greater things than he can and does not deserve, even when knowing God is a great king. Humble people are not so. We have to make room for humility, for things in heavenly terms do not work out any other way at all. Humility is able to receive whatever comes along as well as believing higher than it is able to, because it does not consider things in the light of gain of an own perspective. “Love believes all”, says Paul in 1 Cor.13, because it is never greedy and it is great.

Coming to our text, God gives according to whatever He is and we mark that in the parable where we read that “a housemaster went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard”, Jesus states to all people that ours is but whatever He gives and says “Take yours, and go; I will give to this last one the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with my own?” Mat 20:14,15. Man believes to need to receive as far as he works; God gives as far the need of that man, whatever he works.

Whenever man thinks but on himself, he is fully able to do just as much harm as he will be enabled to take from himself out of greediness. It takes a humble man to receive from a good hand and a proud man to demand from a good hand. Men receive from whom looks like them easily, from whom such is able to resemble unto and match up to in its spirit and ways. An evil man gives just as much as he feels obliged to give away so as to either not compromise himself alone by not giving, or to gain something back from it; a good man shall give as he sees fit for the well-being of the receiver – as much as the receiver needs. God wants our labors because He is after our wholeness of heart, somehow. All those hired workers needed each the same amount to eat and buy their goods; God gives those as they need, in accordance to His heart of goodness and not as according to what they believe they might deserve. We usually have an agreement with God concerning eternal Life. But, we make it seem as if we have a demand on this life as well.  Yet, God does not give us in accordance to our deserving efforts, but rather in accordance to our real needs and as well as according to whatever He is and in full accordance to what He has agreed with us through a testament. Any man that does not do the same as God does, is a hypocrite. And, most of the time, God's payments are different in terms of whatever earth expects and demands to get and receive, for the New Testament implies Jesus giving Himself for us and unto us and not any other things at all.

Now, men are evil and used to deal and enter into evil ways to get and reach unto whatever they wanted and thought to stretch their own arms to receive. He knows no other way but to exchange and to trade. A hypocrite gives away as well because such aim and reason to achieve more for themselves in so doing, or just never to loose what he prizes and already has with him. But God has promised that there will come a day where “The fool shall no more be called noble, nor the greedy said to be generous”, Is.32:5. People pay so they may not loose what they have and hold on to still.

God does not trade. He gives in accordance to His heart and motives and expects us to do likewise. He combines what He is with what we need in such a way that will lovingly avoid both bringing greed into life and still bring forth the truthful perception that He is a great King. He cannot deny what He is. He is what He is - always. So should we be what we are so we make it to know and recognize God further, to match and commune with Him by being alike to match and be one with Him. If we are as we are, God can be unto us as He is. We will give God as far as we are then. God upholds a widow that gives a single penny for it is as much as she believes she is. It is not wrong to give and receive two pennies or even a fortune as long as your heart does never get entangled in its greed; you may receive from someone whose heart is fully in the amount he is able to give away. You may receive from such for their sake, having their heart in whatever they give. If someone used to be greedy and gives all he has away into your hands, receive it for the sake of that man, even if you have the solemn need to hand it over to someone else yourself afterwards, so you may not become as he had been. Even so, have it received for it takes a humble, loving man to receive and stay the same after that, because love demands to receive as much as it gives in proper times and in accordance to a real need instead of according to the demand, whether the need is greater or smaller than the plead. We read Paul and Jesus saying "receive such...". If their heart comes fully with that gift, receive him; if his whole heart is in a small gift, how great is that gift then!

Nevertheless, God’s rewards will always be as great as He is. Should we want to take it and make His heart merry and fulfilled, we must have a heart which is fully able to receive in accordance to the Giver and not to the labor. Let's work for the Creator and not for the labor to gain, let's work according to the Giver and for His sake even if we start later than all else and are only able to work less.

If we serve a great God, we must also have and bear a heart that never minds being served by Him as well. Imagine King David or Salomon coming to your house and make you dinner and use your pots and dishes to do so! It takes a humble man to deny pots of gold or not inviting you to his palace instead, and come to cook in pots of iron and clay having such nearby as would cook for him gladly anywhere, simply because of what he is. Receive it from such, for they are pleasing unto God. Such a man will humble any poor man the right way. Such are also rich in goodness. But, it takes a humble man to receive from God alone, to receive from Him according to what He is, He matching it and putting it our way. God gives Himself in all His gifts. He says, "My reward is with Me" and we may take it for granted that, if so, it may well mean "I am with My reward". Such a man who receives from Him as He is, is made in the shape, in the very image of God Himself, for God receives with honoring acceptance but our whole being, however small we are. He says to such that are small and insignificant, “I will give to this last one the same as to you”. May the last one and the least then receive it in gladness still and prepare himself for greater things, for it is said “A little one will become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I Jehovah will hasten it in its time”, Is.60:22.

José Mateus