Profitable To The Lord And Others

-August 29, 2022-

Good morning, happy Monday,

“Can a man be profitable to God, though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?”

(Job 22:2).

Today we begin a three-part series on being useful to God: to do so we must be profitable, productive, and prosperous. When I retired in January 2020, just before the pandemic struck us, I made it my goal to be profitable, productive, and prosperous each day. I keep very busy and utilize a to do list, always subject to the will of God.

Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends, asked a great question: “Can a man be profitable to God? Yes, it is possible as long as we are saved, living fully for the Lord, and serving Him faithfully. The problem is we let earthly things interfere with this. Anything we do that is not profitable, I would call a “time waster.” It may be watching TV, surfing the Web, or otherwise killing time doing meaningless or useless things. We all do this at some times and to some degree.

To be profitable to God and others, we must seek to be a blessing. Prayer, reading the Word and good devotionals, witnessing to the unsaved, sharing our testimony, helping others in need, giving of our time, money, and effort, and going to church are all excellent uses of our time. It can be in small things or in big things. We should think back on our day at night at bedtime and ask ourselves, “Was my day profitable for God and others?” If today wasn’t as profitable as we would like it to have been, we can resolve to better tomorrow if God gives us another day.

When Paul was in prison, he met a young runaway slave named Onesimus, who had run away from Philemon, one of Paul’s good friends. Paul won him to the Lord and he served and helped Paul very much. Paul sent him back to Philemon. Paul told Philemon, “I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, who once was unprofitable to you, but is now profitable to you and me” (Philemon 1:10-11).

Before we were saved we were unprofitable to God, but now we are profitable, but we must make ourselves available to Christ. The Lord Jesus will evaluate us at the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is not a judgment for our sins, for they are forgiven and under the blood; but a review where He will reward us for our faithful service. Let us then be profitable to God and others, not letting “time wasters” interfere in our heavenly calling. We should be profitable at home, work, church, or wherever we go.

Have a blessed and profitable day,

Dean