“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.'” (Matthew 25:26)

There are two things which the master of the slaves, who represents the Lord in this parable, condemns here:

1) Wickedness “You wicked … slave”

2) Laziness “You … lazy slave”

It doesn’t take much “reading between the lines” to see that the Lord despises these two things in His servants. As we seek to please our Master, each of us should search our hearts and lives for evidences of these two things which He hates:

— Is there any wickedness in my life? Am I pure from sin, which is rebellion against my Master’s commandments, and which tarnishes His glory on earth since I am reputed to be His servant, and which puts a cloud between us in our relationship?

— Do I show signs of laziness? Am I working hard at the things which my Master has entrusted me to do? Am I working as hard on His kingdom’s work as I would/do for my earthly employer or for my own company?

Some of us may lean more towards one of these sinful tendencies than the other:

Some would say, “I am a hard worker!” — but there are areas of compromise in your life morally or spiritually which are displeasing Holy God and which take away from the effectiveness of your work.

Others might say, “Oh, no, I am pure from those sins which mar others’ lives.” But you are not working hard at the Kingdom assignment God has given you. You need to realize that your laziness in doing what God has called you to do, is just as displeasing as that sin of wickedness in others which you would never consider!

The bottom line is: we are here on earth to please the One who made us, and who placed us here to glorify Him. This scripture makes it clear here that if either of these two qualities mark our lives, it is displeasing to God. Let us then examine ourselves, and forsake any semblance of wickedness, or laziness in God’s work, that might characterize us.