We are unprofitable servants

[Ariel82]

It may not be true for everyone who reads this thread, but it's true for most.

Especially if you only do things God commands you to do and then live the rest of your life for your own pleasures.

I am thinking this morning about the parable of the talents. Out of pride I thought I might be that middle person..maybe not,the best at increasing the talents but not burying it in the ground either.

However after reading a few chapters in the Bible this morning, I wonder if that's how God sees me and I realize I have fallen into the trap of pride.

I could use the excuse that everyone else around me is walking in pride as well and receive false comfort in their lukewarmness.

Luke 17 v.5-10

Talks about how to increase our faith. People always quote about having faith as a mustard seed and doing powerful things like move mountains or telling mulberry bushes to pull up their roots and plant themselves in the sea.

Maybe not so many sermons on mulberry bushes,..

Read the rest of the passage..how does Jesus say to increase your faith?

I think He tells us to be humble servants and not spoiled brats. Too often people expect God to tell them after working in the field to "come at once and sit down and eat".

But that isn't how it works. This is God we are talking to, not our soft brat enabling parents. The fear of God has been removed from the hearts of many because respect and thanksgiving to all the blessings our parents have given us have been made optional.

How often do you say thanks to the person who prepares your meals, wash your clothes, teach or does any service for you? Or are you a master who expects such things from your servants?

To increase our faith we must humble ourselves and realize we are not the,masters but called to be servants.

It is only by God's grace that we have peace and the many blessings in our lives.

Therefore let us rejoice and be thankful for His all encompassing love, that allows us to call Him Abba, father even though we are but unprofitable servants, who have done what was our duty to do.

 

[tourist]

I very much want to be a profitable servant to the Lord. All good things come by the grace of God.

 

[Ariel82]

So do I. But I think faith building starts with a humble heart. Then we don't esteem ourselves higher than we aught and we don't become prideful or look down on folks who aren't in the same place spiritually. We understand it's only through grace and God providence that we are able to do anything.

So how do we become profitable servants? What is expected of us and how do we multiply the talents?

Have we invested our lives in other people or is it still just about me, me, me?

What do meditate upon? "Am I good enough? Does it make me happy? How will it help me?"


Or have we grown up and now ask "how does God view this situation? How can we show His love to others? What do they need? Can we pray together?"

 

[Blain]

I don't think we can generalize most ppl here as nonprofitable servants, i see ppl helping each other and uplifting each other all over the forums every day. I can't worry if I am a profitable servant or not I am sure I could be doing better in serving and following him but being a profitable servant is something we all do without even meaning to.

Just a single encouraging post is being a profitable servant, in his eyes even the tiniest things we do for him and for others is just as important as saving a hundred souls. But if we are worried about if we are being a profitable servant or if we are being a profitable enough servant then it goes into works we feel we are not doing good enough or that we are lacking.

I find that if I simply follow my heart and with my heart solely locked on Christ being a profitable servant comes naturally it's like a river flowing freely and easily

 

[Ariel82]

Do you believe that God owes you anything?

Or do you know that you deserve nothing, but out of God's love and grace, He gives you all things important for eternal life and maturity in Christ?

 

[Ariel82]

Do you believe that since you did good works, or helped someone or had faith or prayed, God should repay you and shower you with blessings and great things?

Or do you realize that none of that is worth anything but filthy rags? God doesn't need worship or sacrifice. Just because we do what is expected, doesn't make us profitable servants. Only through Christ blood on the cross are we cleaned and made acceptable. Only by walking with His Holy Spirit can we be profitable. Without God we are nothing and our works are worthless.

Therefore,let us be thankful for His love and grace.

 

[crossnote]

Do we humble ourselves or does God humble us?
Pehaps through abiding in His Word + His grace in dealing with us...the humbling comes.

 

[Blain]

Do you believe that since you did good works, or helped someone or had faith or prayed, God should repay you and shower you with blessings and great things?

Or do you realize that none of that is worth anything but filthy rags? God doesn't need worship or sacrifice. Just because we do what is expected, doesn't make us profitable servants. Only through Christ blood on the cross are we cleaned and made acceptable. Only by walking with His Holy Spirit can we be profitable. Without God we are nothing and our works are worthless.

Therefore,let us be thankful for His love and grace.

Here is how I see it, God never owed me anything and I do all I can for him but I don't want any kind of reward for it. I serve him because of how deeply I love him not so I can get something out of it just being used by him is more than enough of a reward for me.

anyone can serve and do good when their is something in it for them but it takes a humble and caring heart to do this seeking nothing in return

 

[PilgrimPassingThru]

I like these together

Luke 17:7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by,
when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

Luke 17:8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup,
and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken;
and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

Luke 17:9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

Luke 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you,
say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

As Paul said,

1 Cr 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos,
but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

1 Cr 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

1 Cr 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing,
neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

And here,

Gal 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something,
when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

Gal 6:4 But let every man prove his own work,
and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

 

[20]

This what's happened if we don't use our talents for Him.Its strong message for the lazy Christians in the next few verses,KJV.Matthew25;24-30,24.Then he which had received the one talent came and said,Lord, I new thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed;25.And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth; lo, there thou hast that is thine.26.His Lord answered and said unto him,Thou wicked and slothful servant,thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed; 27.Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers,and then at my coming I should have received mine own with unsury.28.Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.29.For unto every one that has shall be given,and he shall have abundance; but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he hath.30.And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. What's the reason He acting like that?It's very simple.It's no place for unprofitable servants in there. His Kingdom going filled with good and faithful servants.

 

[PilgrimPassingThru]

Here is another

Jerm 13:1 Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins,
and put it not in water.

Jerm 13:2 So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.

Jerm 13:3 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,

Jerm 13:4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, whichis upon thy loins,
and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

Jerm 13:5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.

Jerm 13:6 And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates,
and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

Jerm 13:7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it:
and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

Jerm 13:8 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Jerm 13:9 Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

Jerm 13:10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart,
and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

Jerm 13:11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house ofJudah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

Jerm 13:12 Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?

Jerm 13:13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

Jerm 13:14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

Jerm 13:15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.

As the girdle is good for nothing Jesus speaks of the salt (ye are) of the earth and if the salt have that lost his savour is also good for nothing but to be trampled under the foot of men

Mat 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?
it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

His savour

2 Cr 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ,
and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

2 Cr 2:16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life.
And who is sufficient for these things?

2 Cr 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God:
but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

 

[PilgrimPassingThru]

There are those unprofitable and profitable to others or to the ministry as Paul shows also

2 Ti 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

Then of Onesimus

Phm 1:10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:

Phm 1:11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

Phm 1:12 Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:

Phm 1:13 Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel.

Good works are actually profitable to men

Titus 3:11 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

I think the solution to avoiding being an unprofitable servant is this

and [for] this same [reason], and [by] applying all diligence, supply with your faith excellence, and with excellence, knowledge, and with knowledge, self-control, and with self-control, patient endurance, and with patient endurance, godliness, and with godliness, brotherly love, and with brotherly love, love. ​For [if] these [things] are yours and are increasing, this does not make [you] useless or unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8​

 

[Complete_In_Him]

Our position in the household of God is not that of "servant", but 'Sons"

We would do well to "study" to shew ourselves appoved, a "workman" who needeth not to be ashamed "rightly dividing" the word of truth... for our doctrine, so we can be "effective" in our ministry according to the will of God.


If we want to be effective for Christ, we need to know how to share and hold forth the gospel of our salvation, because that is our ultimate service, our main job.


Now, when it comes to building a house of doctrine into our inner man, this is about inheritance and glory. Our instruction to "study", is from God, in His word to us(the church the body of Christ), twice. We are responsible, entrusted and admonished to do this work, according to our "pattern", for gold, silver, precious stones, which is "bearing fruit", there in is the profit of God and men.

The doctrine of God, is simply amazing. Theology, is a snare.

The mind of Christ, is according to teaching, preaching, doctrine for our house, that being our position, vocation, inheritance, according to what God is doing and building today, in this dispensation.

If something is different it is not the same, we need to learn what God is doing in this ministry, to be in accordance with His will.


[SUP]18 [/SUP]And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

[SUP]19 [/SUP]To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

[SUP]20 [/SUP]Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

 

[Ariel82]

Interesting verses Pilgrim will have to read them and pray about them. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you all for your comments and insights. I agree with you Blain but it toke me a journey to be,at that point I my life and I sometimes question if I have strayed from my first love.

Complete in Him, i am not sure your message. Which son are you? The prodigal or the envious one who stayed at home? The prodigal was happy to be a mere servant in his Father's house. He knew he deserved nothing more.

 

[seed_time_harvest]

When love Is In your heart,It will come natural to think of others before thinking of yourself.
GOD looks at the heart.
Your motive Is more Important to GOD.

 

[Blain]

When love Is In your heart,It will come natural to think of others before thinking of yourself.
GOD looks at the heart.
Your motive Is more Important to GOD.

The motives of a heart decides everything especially so in a christian.

 

[20]

We are His Sons and Doughters.It's no questions about it.But Jesus use another word so often,It's servant. It's make the confused for some of the Christians,We can find the answer in the next couple verses,KJV.Matthew20;25-28,But Jesus called them unto him, and said,Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.26.But it shall not be so among you;but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;27.And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; 28.Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.; What's that mean for each of us? His Children are doing His work as the servants.Yes,We are His Royal heirs.And we act like He is.He humbled Himself.He made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant,If we do in this way,It make us, really different from Gentiles in this World.Thanks the Lord to be like He is.

 

[thepsalmist]

The difference between a noun and a verb ... love it Agreed.