Every man is a steward of God. To each the Master has committed His means, but man claims that means as his own. Christ says: “Occupy till I come.” A time is coming when Christ will require His own with usury. He will say to each of His stewards: “Give an account of thy stewardship.” Those who have hid their Lord’s money in a napkin in the earth, instead of putting it out to the exchangers, and those who have squandered their Lord’s money by expending it for needless things, instead of putting it out to usury by investing it in His cause, will not receive approval from the Master, but decided condemnation. The unprofitable servant in the parable brought back the one talent to God, and said: “I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.” His Lord takes up his words: “Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed: thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.” {3T 385.4}

Ethvert menneske er en Guds forvalter. Til enhver har Mesteren (386) betroet sit gods; men mennesket gør krav på dette gods som sit eget. Kristus siger: »Driv handel med den, indtil jeg kommer tilbage.« Der kommer en tid, da Kristus vil kræve sit igen med renter. Han vil sige til enhver af sine husholdere: »Aflæg regnskabet for din forvaltning.« De, som har skjult deres herres penge i et tørklæde i jorden i stedet for at sætte dem ud til vekselererne og de, som har bortødslet deres herres penge ved at bruge dem til unødige ting i stedet for at udlåne dem på rente ved at anbringe dem i hans sag, vil ikke vinde herrens bifald, men få en afgjort fordømmelse. Den unyttige tjener i lignelsen leverede den ene talent tilbage til Gud og sagde: »Herre, jeg havde lært dig at kende som en hård mand, der høster, hvor du ikke såede og samler, hvor du ikke spredte og af frygt for dig gik jeg hen og gemte din talent i jorden; se, her har du, hvad dit er.« Hans herre griber hans ord: »da svarede hans herre og sagde til ham: Du dårlige og dovne tjener, du vidste, at jeg høster, hvor jeg ikke såede og samler, hvor jeg ikke spredte. Så burde du jo have anbragt mine penge hos vekselererne, så jeg havde fået mit igen med rente, når jeg kom hjem.«