And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25:30, KJV)
It has been said that you can gauge one’s spiritual condition by examining a calendar and checkbook.
Indeed the Bible has hundreds of verses that deal specifically with money. Jesus himself said that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). While the amount of your checkbook balance in itself is not an indication of one’s spirituality, one’s attitude toward money as well as how we spend it can reveal where our true priorities lay. Consider Jesus’ illustration of the rich fool described in Luke 12:16-20.
The Spiritually Poor Lose (Even) More
Servant #3 (aka “unprofitable servant”) lost everything but, more importantly, his self-imposed opposition to the Master led to spiritual poverty in addition to his financial losses. Had he tried to emulate his Master, his finances would have benefited as it did with his colleagues. He also dismissed himself from the opportunity to establish a relationship with the Master. Contrary to his conclusions, his Master proved to be generous and inviting.
Often we distance ourselves from God’s blessings by drawing hasty conclusions about Him. We should take time to get to know Him and learn from Him. In doing so we could reap temporal (e.g. financial) as well as eternal (i.e. Heaven) blessings while benefiting from the best friendship we will ever have.