gregoryfl
09-05-2008, 10:43 AM
Yes, to live is Christ. Yet to die is gain. How can I gain anything more than Christ when I die unless it be to gain him in a fullness that I cannot have him now in this flesh? It just spoke again to my spirit reaffirming what I see, for Paul's gain when he died he says himself what it is. It is to "be with Jesus",(1:24) apart from this body of death, seeing him as he is.
Of all the parables Jesus gave concerning this idea of rewards, one has always been an oddball one to me; the one where laborers are all hired to work at different times of the day for a denarius; the last of which only works for an hour. When the master has the wages given out, the workers that worked all day expect to receive more, but they get a denarius just as every other worker gets.
How can this be, when other parables sound like we each get different levels of rewards? I think we have all been taught backwards concerning this whole idea of rewards, but I just cannot express it how I really want to.
I will try to though, by means of this story.
It's like Jesus went and ran this race of life, which none of us could. He did it to his Father's full satisfaction. So now Father, knowing how we love to be rewarded, said "Jesus, you tell them if they work hard, they will receive this BIG reward, but I have a surprise for them."
So Jesus does that while living this life on earth and then goes back to heaven to return in spirit to live in us. Then, individually, he lives that same life out in us, working night and day, conforming us to himself, Father growing and nurturing that seed within us. All the while we are, because we are in him and he in us, working right along with him, in perfect harmony, yet on the outside we see variances with each other, some working harder than others. Perhaps I am working very very hard and see that in my life, and am so glad, yet something seems odd. We are told to keep our eyes on Jesus, which we try to do, but we know we are also keeping our eye on the prize. "Boy, I can't wait to receive this prize. It surely must be awesome! But why keep our eyes on Jesus? Hmm, he is the giver of the reward. That's it! It's that reward in his hand that will be mine for faithful service! So I keep on."
Then the day comes when we all appear, as it were, before Father. I am looking around me and see others I recognize on this journey. I am thinking to myself, as I look around, "Surely I will get more of a reward than that person, or that person, I was so faithful." Then Father says, "You all have done well. In fact, you all have done perfectly, to my total satisfaction. Here is your reward." Then the curtain is drawn back, and Jesus comes out in all his glory, but something is wrong....there is nothing in his hand! It is empty! Where is our reward?!
Then Jesus gathers us all around him close and says, "What were you possibly looking for? Some crown of gold perhaps? As if that shadow could actually mean anything up here in reality. I am your crown. Recall, brothers and sisters, that I spoke through the apostles of eternal life as a gift and as a reward, as both a present possesion while you were in your mortal bodies and as something to be gained in the future." Then, as he holds out his arms to embrace us, "I am your gift, I am your reward. I am eternal life. You had me as your gift(Eph2:8) and reward(Rom2:7) all along, although while on earth you were prevented from seeing it clearly. You worked, yet not you, but I, perfectly so as to receive me, your reward, in fullness. So it truly is nothing you earned, and yet you did, for we are one. But now, seeing clearly, come, let us enjoy forever what we have, for in me, the I AM, who am everything to you, you have it all." And we all fell down at his feet and worshipped.
Ron
Of all the parables Jesus gave concerning this idea of rewards, one has always been an oddball one to me; the one where laborers are all hired to work at different times of the day for a denarius; the last of which only works for an hour. When the master has the wages given out, the workers that worked all day expect to receive more, but they get a denarius just as every other worker gets.
How can this be, when other parables sound like we each get different levels of rewards? I think we have all been taught backwards concerning this whole idea of rewards, but I just cannot express it how I really want to.
I will try to though, by means of this story.
It's like Jesus went and ran this race of life, which none of us could. He did it to his Father's full satisfaction. So now Father, knowing how we love to be rewarded, said "Jesus, you tell them if they work hard, they will receive this BIG reward, but I have a surprise for them."
So Jesus does that while living this life on earth and then goes back to heaven to return in spirit to live in us. Then, individually, he lives that same life out in us, working night and day, conforming us to himself, Father growing and nurturing that seed within us. All the while we are, because we are in him and he in us, working right along with him, in perfect harmony, yet on the outside we see variances with each other, some working harder than others. Perhaps I am working very very hard and see that in my life, and am so glad, yet something seems odd. We are told to keep our eyes on Jesus, which we try to do, but we know we are also keeping our eye on the prize. "Boy, I can't wait to receive this prize. It surely must be awesome! But why keep our eyes on Jesus? Hmm, he is the giver of the reward. That's it! It's that reward in his hand that will be mine for faithful service! So I keep on."
Then the day comes when we all appear, as it were, before Father. I am looking around me and see others I recognize on this journey. I am thinking to myself, as I look around, "Surely I will get more of a reward than that person, or that person, I was so faithful." Then Father says, "You all have done well. In fact, you all have done perfectly, to my total satisfaction. Here is your reward." Then the curtain is drawn back, and Jesus comes out in all his glory, but something is wrong....there is nothing in his hand! It is empty! Where is our reward?!
Then Jesus gathers us all around him close and says, "What were you possibly looking for? Some crown of gold perhaps? As if that shadow could actually mean anything up here in reality. I am your crown. Recall, brothers and sisters, that I spoke through the apostles of eternal life as a gift and as a reward, as both a present possesion while you were in your mortal bodies and as something to be gained in the future." Then, as he holds out his arms to embrace us, "I am your gift, I am your reward. I am eternal life. You had me as your gift(Eph2:8) and reward(Rom2:7) all along, although while on earth you were prevented from seeing it clearly. You worked, yet not you, but I, perfectly so as to receive me, your reward, in fullness. So it truly is nothing you earned, and yet you did, for we are one. But now, seeing clearly, come, let us enjoy forever what we have, for in me, the I AM, who am everything to you, you have it all." And we all fell down at his feet and worshipped.
Ron