25 Bible Verses about Waste

"Not many days after that the younger son gathered everything together and took his journey into a distant country; and there he wasted his money on living unsavingly. "After he had spent everything there came a terrible famine in the land, and he began to be in want. "So he went and hired to one of the citizens of that land, who sent him out into the fields to feed swine.read more.
"And he was longing to be filled with the husks which the swine were eating, but no one gave him any.

To his disciples he said: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was accused to him of wasting his property.

Go to now, you rich men! Weep aloud, howl for the miseries which are about to come upon you! For your riches lie rotting, and your clothing has become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are rusted. and their rust will be for a testimony against you, and it will eat your flesh. For you have been storing up fire in these last days!read more.
Look! the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have been keeping back by fraud, are crying aloud! And the cries of the reapers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth! You have lived luxuriously on earth, you have taken your pleasure, you have fattened your hearts for a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous man unresisting!

For the time past of life may suffice us to have worked the will of the Gentiles, when we spent our life in lasciviousness, lusts, hard drinking, revelry, banqueting, and abominable idol worship. They are astonished at this, that you do not run into the same excesses of profligacy as they do; and they speak evil of you. But they must render account to Him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.

and when they were satisfied, he said to his disciples, "Gather up the fragments that are left, so that nothing may be wasted." So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves??he broken pieces that were left after they had eaten.

"The Light is among you a little longer," answered Jesus. "Walk while you have the Light, lest 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, so that you may become Sons of Light."

As a worker with him I beseech you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

Now, however, when you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you are beginning to turn back to those weak and beggarly externalities, eager to be in bondage to them again? You are scrupulous, are you, in observing "days" and "months" and "seasons" and "years"? I am alarmed about you for fear lest I may have bestowed labor on you to no purpose.

For if we sin wilfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains any other sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fiery indignation which is about to devour the adversaries. Any one who set at naught the law of Moses was put to death without pity, on the testimony of two or three witnesses.read more.
How much surer, think you, will be the punishment of one who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has profaned that covenant blood with which he was sanctified, and has done despite to the spirit of grace?

Indeed it would have been better for them not to have known the Way of Righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them.

"For it is like a man going into another country, who summoned his slaves, and committed his property to their care. "To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another, one??o each according to his individual ability??nd then set out on his travels. "At once the man who had received the five talents went out and traded with them, and made five talents more.read more.
"In the same way the one who got two talents made another two. "But he who had received the one talent went off, and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master's money. "After a long time the master of those slaves came, and demanded a reckoning with them. "The man who had received the five talents came, bringing five more, and said: "'Master, five talents you entrusted to me; see, I have gained five more.' "'Well done, good and faithful slave,' replied his master; 'You have been faithful over many things. Enter into your master's joy.' "The second, who had received the two talents, came up and said: "'Master, it was two talents that you entrusted to me; see, I have gained two more.' "'Well done, good and faithful slave,' his master replied, 'You have been faithful over many things; enter into your master's joy.' "Then the man who had received the one talent came up and said: "'Master, I knew you were a hard man, reaping where you had not sown, and gathering where you had not scattered; "so I was afraid; I went away and buried your talent in the earth. There, you have what belongs to you!' "'You wicked and lazy slave,' said his master. 'You say you knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not scattered?' Then you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my property with interest. So take away the talent from him, and give it to the man who has ten talents. (For to every one who has, it shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him who has not shall be taken away even what he has.) But cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.'

So he said: "A certain nobleman went abroad to receive for himself royal power and to return. "And he summoned ten slaves of his, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, "'Trade with these until I come.' "But this fellow citizens hated him, and sent a deputation after him to say, 'We do not wish this man to become our king.'read more.
"And upon his return after he had secured the royal power, he ordered the slaves to whom he had given the money to be called in, so that he might know what they had gained by trading. "And the first came before him, saying, 'Master, your pound has made ten pounds.' "And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.' "And the second came and said, 'Master, your pound has made five pounds.' "Then he said to him also, 'You shall be over five cities.' "And the next came to him and said, 'Here master is your pound which I was keeping safe in a napkin. "'For I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take what you did not sow.' "He said to him, "'By your own words I will Judge you, you wicked slave. You knew, did you, that I was a hard man taking up what I did not lay down, reaping what I did not sow. "'Then why did you not put my money into the bank, so that at my coming I might I might have gotten it back with interest?' "Then to those who stood by, he said, 'Take the pounds from him and give it to him who has ten pounds.' "'Master,' they said to him, 'he already has ten pounds.' "'I tell you that to every one who has it shall be given; and from him who has not shall be taken away even what he has. "'Howbeit these enemies of mine who were not willing for me to become their King, bring them here, and slay them in my presence.'"

Buy up opportunity, for the times are evil.

"I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.

So then, as we have opportunity, let is do good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward those without, buying up your opportunities.

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine; lest in turn they trample them under their feet, and then turn and attack you.

The unspiritual man rejects the teachings of God's Spirit; for him it is folly. He cannot understand it, for it is spiritually discerned,

Take care lest there be any fornicator or scorner like Esau among you, who for one meal sold his birthright.

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. "I have sinned," he said, "in betraying innocent blood!" "What is that to us?" they answered; "you must see to that." And flinging down the silver into the Sanctuary, he rushed out, and went and hanged himself.

While Jesus was staying in Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, a woman came up to him who had an alabaster vase of very costly perfume, and poured it over his head, as he reclined at table. when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, and exclaimed.read more.
"Why is this waste? This perfume could have been sold for a good sum, and the money given to the poor." But when Jesus understood it he said to them. "Why are you annoying the woman? This is a beautiful deed she has done for me; "for the poor you have with you always, but me you will not always have. "In pouring this perfume on my body, she was preparing me for my burial. "In solemn truth I tell you that wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, what she has done shall be told about, as her memorial."

And while he was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, while he was dining, a woman came with an alabaster vase of very costly, pure spikenard perfume, and, breaking the vase, she poured the perfume on his head. Some of those who were present said among themselves indignantly. "Why has the perfume been wasted like this? That perfume could have been sold for more than one hundred and fifty dollars, and given to the poor."read more.
So they began upbraiding her, but Jesus said: "Let her alone. Why are you troubling her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor among you, and can show them kindness whenever you wish, but me you will not always have. She has done what she could. she has before time anointed my body for my burial. I tell you in solemn truth that wherever the gospel is preached throughout the whole world, there what she has done shall be told in remembrance of her."

So then Jesus came six days before the Passover, to Bethany, where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served it; but Lazarus was one of those who reclined with him at table. Then Mary took a pound of pure spikenard, very costly, and poured it over his feet, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.read more.
Then said Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, who was about to betray him, "Why was not this perfume sold for fifty dollars, and the proceeds given to the poor?" This he said not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and, carrying the purse, used to purloin what was put in it. Then said Jesus. "Let her alone. Against the day of my burial has she kept this; for the poor you have with you always, but me you have not always."

For this reason, as I have said, I do not lose courage, but even though my outward man is wasting away, my inward man is being renewed, day by day.