By Romans 12:11 “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”
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In Matthew 25:14-30 (turn there to read) we have the parable of the talents. If you recall the story the servants were each given a certain number of talents from their master before he went on a long journey. They were to invest and multiply what they were given so that the master would prosper from the servant’s hands. The third servant did not invest his master’s money but rather hid the talent in the ground. When the master returns he commends the other two servants who did multiply their talents but then has some very stern comments to the one who hid the talent in the dirt. The master calls him a worthless, wicked and slothful servant. He then cast the servant into the lake of fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The sins of the servant appear to be that he was “slothful in zeal,” he was not “fervent in spirit,” and therefore he did not “serve the Lord.” We read a text like this in Romans 12:11 and can tend to think that it is not really a big deal whether we obey or not. But then after we read the account of the worthless, wicked and slothful servant, we are corrected and find that God is very serious about his servants multiplying the gifts, talents, and resources that he has lent us while he is on his journey.
He is on a long journey. It is a journey that he has been on for close to 2000 years. He has promised us that he will return in the same manner in which he left (Acts 1:11). When he returns he will be calling each one of his servants before him to give an account of how well we have managed the resources he has lent us while he is on his heavenly journey. What will he say to you? Will he say “well done,” or “you wicked and slothful servant!”
“Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”
Leading Family Devotions 