THE UNPROFITABLE SERVANT
The "unprofitable servant" is the one who "hid" his talent. Too lazy to invest his life and time in God's interests, he became "slothful" in the things of God. This was the busy man or woman who came to God's house once a week to maintain a semblance of religion.
Here is what the Lord will say of haphazard, halfhearted service to Him:
"Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not. . . . Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with [interest]. . . . Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:26-27, 30).
What weeping and wailing there will be when the unprofitable servant's book is opened. The Judge will show the world how much time and effort he spent making money, seeking personal security, building up bank accounts, fretting, ignoring family, forgetting God and forsaking the assembly of believers.
On that day God will bring forth the record of every neglected church meeting, every lazy and self-centered activity. Then, right before this servant's eyes will appear everything he spent his lifetime accumulating: houses, cars, furnishings, boats, clothes, jewelry, stocks and bonds.
A spark from the Judge's eye will ignite everything like a hydrogen meltdown. An angel will be standing before the Judge and his hands will hold a mound of dust. The Lord will turn to the unprofitable one and say, "This is what your lifetime of business amounted to. I needed you and called you, but you neglected Me. You gave Me so little of your time until finally you pushed Me out of your life completely. You wasted your life for a handful of dust. You were warned that it would all burn as grass in an oven!"
Oh, what regret there will be on that day for one who has no time for God now! He attends the obligatory Sunday morning service with his wife and children because it is "the American way." But he has no heart for God!
Here is what the Lord will say of haphazard, halfhearted service to Him:
"Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not. . . . Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with [interest]. . . . Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:26-27, 30).
What weeping and wailing there will be when the unprofitable servant's book is opened. The Judge will show the world how much time and effort he spent making money, seeking personal security, building up bank accounts, fretting, ignoring family, forgetting God and forsaking the assembly of believers.
On that day God will bring forth the record of every neglected church meeting, every lazy and self-centered activity. Then, right before this servant's eyes will appear everything he spent his lifetime accumulating: houses, cars, furnishings, boats, clothes, jewelry, stocks and bonds.
A spark from the Judge's eye will ignite everything like a hydrogen meltdown. An angel will be standing before the Judge and his hands will hold a mound of dust. The Lord will turn to the unprofitable one and say, "This is what your lifetime of business amounted to. I needed you and called you, but you neglected Me. You gave Me so little of your time until finally you pushed Me out of your life completely. You wasted your life for a handful of dust. You were warned that it would all burn as grass in an oven!"
Oh, what regret there will be on that day for one who has no time for God now! He attends the obligatory Sunday morning service with his wife and children because it is "the American way." But he has no heart for God!