Matthew 25:30
“And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
A friend of mine who has pastored for many years has one thing that is very important to him when he hires a staff member. This pastor doesn’t look for personality, though that would be helpful. He doesn’t look for someone who is talented, though that can be advantageous. The one thing he looks for is whether a person is profitable to the ministry.
For many years I looked at the parable of the unprofitable servant and wondered why God would call him unprofitable. When reading the parable, you see this unprofitable servant did not waste what he had. This unprofitable servant did not live a wordily lifestyle. So, what was it that caused this unprofitable servant to be unprofitable.
First, he wasn’t a worker. When reading the parable, you see the other two in the story went out and worked. They didn’t dig a little hole and hide the money, but they went out and worked hard to double what they had. Any person who is not a worker is unprofitable. God made us to work! He made the man to work and provide for the home, and he made the lady to work in the home and provide daily essentials for the family. An employer will always do what they can to keep the person who is a hard worker no matter the circumstances.
Second, the unprofitable servant wasn’t a thinker. The other two in the parable thought about how they could make money, whereas the unprofitable servant dug a hole and hid his money. Thinkers are becoming a thing of the past. Thinkers are creative and are always finding ways to improve something. If you don’t want to be unprofitable, then you would be wise to become a thinker. The unprofitability of the unprofitable servant was that he didn’t stop and think about a better way to reproduce what he had.
Third, the unprofitable servant only did what he had to do. He wasn’t looking to do more than was expected of him. It is not the person who does what is expected of them who moves up the ladder, but it is the person who does more than is expected who moves up the ladder. Anyone can do what is expected and that is what most people do; but those who go beyond what is expected of them are the ones who become profitable to their leaders.
Fourth, the unprofitable servant wasn’t a producer. The unprofitable servant was a maintainer. There is nothing wrong with maintaining, but God didn’t make us to maintain, He made us to produce. Maintainers are unprofitable because maintaining doesn’t make money, it simply pays the bills. A person doesn’t go into business to just pay the bills, they go into business to make money. When you become a producer, you move into a realm that makes you an asset and not a liability.
Let me ask you, are you an unprofitable or profitable servant. These four areas are of utmost importance to becoming profitable. Every Christian should desire to be a profitable servant. If you find yourself lacking in one of these areas, let me encourage you to correct it so that you can become profitable to your employer, customers and your LORD.