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“24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I know you that you are an hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you hast not strawed:

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth: lo, there you have that which is Yours.

26 His lord answered and said unto him, you wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

27 You ought therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which has 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 has.” Matthew 25:24-29
Each and every Believer is given a proper ministry.  It is our faithfulness to the ministry, not our success, for which our rewards are given.  Now I’m going to preach to my preacher friends for a minute.  Sadly, many of look you to only those in the laity as the wicked and slothful servants, and by all means some certainly are lazy and disrespectful.

However, with all due respect, I would like to speak to those of you who are called by God to preach His Gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  Some of you have become slothful.  You are not multiplying your ministry (your talents) through faithfulness to what God has called you to do but have become content with preserving your ministry through your own successful measures.  The preservation of your ministry has become your satisfying portion because of your success, while God reckons your rewards according to your faithfulness.

“But grow in Grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18

Instead of growing in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour yourself, you have unknowingly become slothful and disrespectful toward the Lord.  Please don’t misunderstand, I realize you are sincere and zealous in your ministry…but your attempt at success is negating your faithfulness.  When God comes to reckon with you regarding the light you have received of Him; the light which you have vainly and enthusiastically preserved in an attempt to succeed, what else can you declare unto Him other than “THERE You have that which is Yours!” when He demands, because of your lack of faithfulness, for you to give your ministry to someone whose ministry has multiplied due to their faithfulness.  Your consecration to the Work of God has been replaced with ambition in the Work of God. The sad fact is, soon your light will be taken away and given to those with an abundance of light…those who were faithful in their ministry and you will be considered a hireling.

I don’t mean this disparagingly but pray that some will take heed and realize their own slothfulness in growing in the Grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Beware of simply trying to preserve your ministry in order to succeed but continue growing in Grace through faith in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.  The Word of God is alive and therefore inexhaustible.  There is no graduating class…not even for you my preacher friends.  When the Lord illuminates His Word, precept upon precept and line upon line, our faith grows…it multiplies.

The message of the Cross of Christ to break the power of sin in the Believer’s life is not new.  The Holy Spirit gave us this message through the Apostle Paul in Romans 6, 7 and 8.  It is there that Believers are told how to live for Christ.  So many know the what to do’s but don’t know how to do the what to do’s and remain bound by satan.  The sin in their life is the devil’s legal right to them.  They are saved but continue to live a defeated Christian life and their faith is in danger of destruction.  These are my Brothers and Sisters in Christ preacher friend; those you have been called to lead to Christ for life and life more abundantly, not methods of man from the vanities of their minds for victory over the world, the flesh and the devil or to teach them social justices.  My Brothers, Sisters and myself, NEED the victory only Jesus Christ afforded us on Calvary’s Cross to survive this life, not your condolences for repeated failures.

Friend, don’t be slothful and disrespectful.  Seek to be faithful to your calling…your ministry.  Don’t dismiss the growing in Grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ yourself.  The preaching of the Cross of Christ is the power of God to those who are saved…but it is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Prayerfully consider.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  Psalms 139:23-24

-Donna Clark Warren