Authored By :
Bill Kochman
Published On :
October 5, 1997
Last Updated :
September 26, 2014
NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.
Parable Of The Talents And The Slothful Servant, Children Of The Light, Let Your Light So Shine, Repent And Return Like The Prodigal Son, Don't Be Ashamed Of The Gospel, Shame And Everlasting Contempt, Closing Remarks, More Reading Resources
Of course, as we learned earlier in this series, there is another side to this coin. If you are just living selfishly like everyone else in the world, and never letting your spiritual light shine before men, such as by sharing the Word of God with those you know and meet, or by extending a helping hand to others when it is within your power to do so, then I don't think that the Lord will be very pleased with you. I am reminded of Jesus' Parable regarding the unfaithful steward who foolishly buried his one talent in the ground, and did not bother to invest it in the Lord's Work as he should have done. Consider the following verses:
"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey . . . But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money . . . After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them . . . Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 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: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew 25:14-15, 18-19, 24-30, KJV
As a child of the King, and a child of the Light, I truly hope that you are not like that unfaithful servant who was ashamed to preach the Gospel, and who thus hid his talent in the ground. I pray that you are letting your light so shine before men, that they are seeing your good works in the Lord, and that they are glorifying your Father in Heaven. I also pray that you are more concerned with what God thinks of you, than you are with what others may possibly think of you. Let me share some additional Bible verses with you:
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 5:14-16, KJV
"No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light."
Luke 11:33-36, KJV
"And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light."
Luke 16:8, KJV
"While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them."
John 12:36, KJV
"Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children . . . For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light . . . And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
Ephesians 5:1, 8, 11, KJV
"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"
Philippians 2:15, KJV
"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness."
1 Thessalonians 5:4-5, KJV
If you are currently backslidden from the Lord, and have been slothful and unfaithful in the affairs of the Kingdom, please know that it is never too late to repent. Just like the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, your Heavenly Father is patiently waiting with outstretched arms, and hoping that you will soon come to your senses and return home to Him. Will you? All you have to do is forsake your pride, admit that you have been wrong, and humbly take your place again in the King's Army.
On the other hand, if you insist on continuing to live your fruitless, selfish life, and if you are more concerned with what people think of you, and have no desire to get back up on the wall of service to the Lord, then I advise you to take careful heed to the following verses as well:
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."
Daniel 12:2-3, KJV
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 10:32-33, KJV
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
Mark 8:38, KJV
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
Romans 1:16, KJV
"For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
2 Timothy 1:12, KJV
"For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,"
Hebrews 2:11, KJV
"But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."
Hebrews 11:16, KJV
With that sobering message, I will bring this series to its conclusion. I hope it has been a blessing and an inspiration in your life; and I pray that it will motivate you to do more for the Lord while there still remains time to do so.
If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would also very much appreciate if you would take the time to click on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!
With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!
For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.
Abundant Life Doctrine: Scripturally Exposed!
Are You a Burning Ember for the Lord?
Are You Crucified With Christ?
Are You Redeeming the Time?
Backsliding, Divine Chastisement and the Divine Agreement
Beholding the Evil and the Good
Dracula, Nosferatu, Twilight: The Vampire Fad
Christian Witnessing: Winning the Sheep and Waging the Warfare!
Free From the Fear of Death: Law and Works vs Grace
Going Down the Highway of Life
Have You Sold Your Soul for a Pound of Flesh?
Love, Mercy, Forgiveness and Chastisement
Money-Making Bible Hucksters and Mammon
Parable of the Sower: Salvation and Service
Satan: His Origin, Purpose and Future
Satan: King of Tyrus, King of Empires
Sluggards and Sloths: Are You Diligent and Faithful?
So You Really Think You Are So Humble?
The Cheerful Giver: Supporting God's Work
The Children of Light - Are You One of Us?
The Royal Law: Thou Shalt Love
This Little Light, Glory of the Lord and Our Bright Future
What is God's Will for My Life?
When Sin is no Longer a Sin!