25 Bible Verses about Waste

Not many days after, the younger son gathered together all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine.read more.
And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

He also said to his disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.read more.
Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out against you; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

For you have spent enough time in the past doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and lawless idolatry. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they abuse you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

And when they had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, left over by those who had eaten.

Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." When Jesus had said this, he departed and hid himself from them.

Working together with him, then, we urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things? Do you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.

For if we sin deliberately after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.read more.
How much severer punishment do you think a man will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as an unclean thing the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.

"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents more.read more.
So also, he who had the two talents gained two more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground, and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received the five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the two talents came and said, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents.' Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed? Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Therefore he said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. So he called ten of his servants, gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'read more.
And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ' Master, your mina has earned ten minas more.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, be in authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.' Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.' Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.' He said to him, 'I will judge you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a hard man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?' And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.' And they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas already!' 'I tell you, that to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.'"

making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

we must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. Night is coming, when no one can work.

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

Do not give what is holy to the dogs; do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

that no one be immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!" Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive perfume, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. But when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?read more.
For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and given to the poor." But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. For in pouring this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."

And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly. And she broke the flask and poured it over his head. But there were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was this ointment wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply.read more.
But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you will, you can do good to them; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her."

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.read more.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief; and as he had the money box, he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, "Let her alone, she has kept this for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, yet our inner nature is being renewed day by day.