Gifted and worthless to society. 

(Philemon) 

What is to be the proof of our relationship to God? 

George Campbell Morgan, twice the pastor of the famous Congregational church in London - "Westminster Chapel" during the early third of the 20th Century, said, "Our relationship to God creates our value to our fellow man. Our value to our fellow man is the test of our relationship to God." 

There are eleven very brief character sketches in the one chapter New Testament epistle known as the book of "Philemon." The first five are in introduction and greetings. The last five are in farewell and salutations.

It is the one character sketch in the middle, vss 10-18, that is so compelling to me. "...Onesimus, who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me."

I worry that most of my life and most of my moments are unprofitable to God or humanity.

The unprofitable person is motivated by 'self' and creates deficits wherever he has been.

The profitable person is motivated by 'love' and brings 'service' wherever he is.

The creed of a Rotarian is actually a theological summation of this Epistle of Paul to Philemon: "Service above Self!"

I'm often confronted with the evidence that many members of civic clubs are more useful to humanity than many members of churches. There's something wrong with that picture.

Churches should NEVER be a deficit in any community. Christians should never be a deficit in any situation.

The mere fact that churches don't pay taxes to help the community means that there is immediately a huge deficit to overcome in some way. Most churches probably never even equal a payback to that tax deficit alone, much less add a positive benefit to the community around them.

Having said that, here's the practical application: if a church isn't giving at least as much financial support back into community efforts as the amount of the tax burden they have avoided, then they are year-to-year a deficit to the community.

Our world has enough reasons to dislike Christians. Let's not add "cheap, stingy, and free-loaders" to the list. 

Let's prove our worth to society and to God!