Parable of the Talents

To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Matthew 25: 15-18 NKJV

In this parable, our Lord Jesus taught about our responses to eternal gifts. There is no difference between the man who received the five talents, the man who received the two and even the man who received one talent. What made the difference is how they responded to the gifts.

You’d notice that the man with the five talents came back with five more, making 100% profit and the same with the man with two talents. In these two instances the response of the Master to both men were the same- ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He scored them by what He gave them.
Had the man who received one talent returned with one more, the Master would have congratulated him too.

The problem with most of us is that we are not responding well to the gifts and potentials that God has deposited in us. Yours mustn’t be as ‘BIG’ as your friend’s before you can bring returns to the Master. Do something with what the Lord gave to you. We all carry great treasures.

The servant who did nothing with his talent was called wicked and lazy by the Master. ...‘You wicked and slothful servant! Matt. 25:26
So, it's wickedness and laziness to not put to use the gifts and potentials God has deposited in us. And you'd see that the Master took his one talent and gave it to the man who already had ten.
We attract divine favour when we are diligent at our duty posts.

Action Point
You are created for so much more! Go out and trade with your talents. It’s wickedness to God when we do not use our gifts. If you buried any talents, dig it out and dust it up today.

The Parable of the barren fig tree

He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that[a] you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-9)

In the parable of the fig tree, God is the Landowner, and Jesus is the Keeper of the Vineyard. You and I are the fig trees. We see the Vinedresser, our Lord Jesus negotiating for extra time on behalf of the figs. And the Vinedresser didn’t just secure extra time but he did something to help the figs bear fruit. He dug around them and fertilized them. This extra time and His digging around the figs is what we call grace today; it is the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus to redeem us from eternal destruction. Grace came so that we can be fruitful.

The Vinedresser fertilized the figs when He sent us the Holy Spirit, to quicken us, teach us all things and make us fruitful unto God (John 14:26).

In spite of how much the Vinedresser was willing to raise the fig, He never promised to make it bear fruit. He said ‘…if it bears fruit, well. But if not, You can cut it down’. The word ‘…if” is indicative of the fact that it’s our responsibility to make something of the grace of God upon our lives. His grace came to make us fruitful.

What are you doing with your extra time? Are you bearing fruit? If not, begin today to abide in Christ, to avoid being cut down.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (John 15:4)

Prayer
Lord, please help us to be fruitful so that we will not be cut down.