KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:28. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

Unfruitfulness is one of the painful things in this life. The pain of it is that on many occasions it is self inflicting. In the parable of the talents, the man who was unfruitful received some of the results of unfruitfulness. They are as follows (I wish to clarify that childless couples are not to be included in this group, since on many occasions it is no fault of theirs).

1.The Lord asked that the man who was given one talent, to give his one unused talent to the man who traded with his and had five more. It is said that, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. This is one of the effects of unfruitfulness. The rich always have a higher competitive value than the poor. For an example, more purchases normally go with higher discount than lesser purchases. You can change this order by committing yourself to discipline, diligence and faith in God. Remember it is not him that wills nor runneth, but it is God who shows mercy. Romans 9:16. Faith always attracts the mercy of God.

2. Unfruitfulness takes one’s dignity from him. The man did not only lose his single talent, he also lost his very dignity or social status. His dignity was given to another, who was more fruitful. Your unfruitfulness may cause you to borrow from the rich. Proverbs 22:7. The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Dear one, you must hate unfruitfulness in every form of it. Fight any act that leads to it.

3. The Bible says God purges the fruitful branch, yet he casts away the unfruitful into fire. John 15:2. Fire always stands for judgement. Judgment comes in various forms. This may be God’s ultimate judgement or judgement in the hands of men, who would use you for any thing insignificant. It can even stand for satanic forces who would torment and make your life like hell. You would be walking in fire whiles you live in the flesh.

4. The Lord called him an unprofitable servant, and that he must be cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is the most serious part. Those who fail to be fruitful and have become busy bodies with no results to the glory of God, are seriously in danger of hell fire. The Lord’s verdict for such people is that, they are wicked and slothful. According to the word of God the wicked is the man who gives no regard to the word of God. He hears the word, but treats it like something of no value. Such a person is just like an infidel. Dear one, how do you value the word of God?

God expects fruit from everyone. God has made great investment in every child of His. Get down to work. Win souls, help them to grow in their faith and you would be ready for the master when he comes.

CONFESSION

I am blessed with every ability to be fruitful. I commit myself to serving and working for the master who enable me to bear fruit to His glory. Thank you, Lord, for your grace.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 15:2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

Hebrews 6:8. “But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:25.”And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. “

Who is a failure.? The failure is not the man with something little compared to those who have much. He is not the man who does not have a beautiful house, well paid job, a flashy car and all those things that society will call the affluent. From our story, the man with the one talent was a failure. He failed because he did not believe in what he had.  Failures believe they have nothing to offer.   They are stuck at a point not making much effort.

Failures are always complaining. They are never excited and enthusiastic about life and the future. The man with one talent was complaining about how difficult the Lord who gave him the talent was. They are specialist in seeing the negative side of life. The truth is the bad side of life is very minute, yet one could magnify it so much that, he is stuck to one point. Every failure is deceived because they allow themselves to be deceived.

He said I was afraid. Every failure entertains a lot of fears about so many things. They are very apprehensive and cannot take positive steps to effect changes in their lives. He creates very wild imagination about his path in life. Consider the following scripture.

Proverbs 22:13. The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. He always gives a reason why something should not be done. The underlying reason for most of his fears is laziness or slothfulness.

This man was a total failure because he couldn’t add to what was given to him. His real problem was his attitude. He had no physical limits yet, he created lots of mental limitation that held him to one spot.

Now, to the brother or sister who is making all the efforts, cleaning up sweats from his face and having to undergo all kinds of pain, so he could make an impact, you are far from being a failure. Do not let the success and breakthrough of others put you down. The fact that you are doing something positive, with a mind to be a blessing to others, makes you a success. Keep at your desire and commitment to be a blessing. Those who steal to acquire wealth are not successful. You cannot destroy others to enrich yourself, and call that successful.

THOUGHT:  SUCCESS IS TO BE COMMITTED TO BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 12:24.”Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

1 Corinthians 15:10. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:16. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

Every mango seed is a complete plantation of mango trees. This mango seed could be despised and thrown away, yet within it is its own survival. The Bible said the man who received five talents went and traded with it, and obtained a hundred-fold returns. Dear brother or sister, stop looking outside for success. Your success is within you. GO out there and make use of your gifts and God given abilities to impact on lives.

Soul winning is an aspect of our lives that the Lord expects us to make great impact. There are some brethren who are very successful in winning the lost and others are not so successful, yet each one must do his or her part. Do it with all the passion for the lost. Do it in reliance on the Holy Spirit. Your results are always depended on the special ability granted to you. When the Lord called His disciples to follow Him. He said to them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Joining brethren in fellowship and doing the word is to make us fishers of men. Our rewards before the father would be mainly due to how many men, or women we were able to fish for the master.

The Lord emphasised this point in the following verse, John 15:16. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall, the father in my name, Dear brother or sister, no matter whatever you may be doing in life, never forget that you have become a child of God, and that you are a Fisher of men.

THOUGHT: WINNING MEN FOR CHRIST SURPASSES ALL ACHIEVMENTS

FURTHER STUDIES

Proverbs 11:30. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

Matthew 4:19. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:15.”And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey”.

We learnt in our previous study that God gives talents or gifts to every single individual. In today’s study we consider the fact that the degree of the talent one is given depends the ability or capacity of that individual. This capacity is God given, 2 Timothy 2:20. “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour”. The scriptures talked about different substances of unique values. These vessels did not make themselves; it was God who made some gold, silver, wood and the rest. Each vessel depending on its quality will warrant the kind of tasks or talents that will be given to it. Wood cannot be given a task relating to fire.

Your fruits or impact may be relative to the kind of talent or gift given to you, or else you can produce more than your standard capacity, depending on the effort you put into your work. Let’s consider the experience of Apostle Paul 1 Corinthians 15:10. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. He said he worked very hard with the grace given to him. Through discipline and effort, one could increase his capacity to do more.

A scriptural way to increase your capacity to do more is through humility. James 4:6. “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble”. As a man humbles himself, he is ready to learn new ways and how to improve himself. Humble people are always ready to endure all kinds of difficulties and challenges, so they could improve upon themselves and be a greater blessing to others. God gives more grace to the humble. Grace is a divine enablement. It is an increase of your capacity to do more. Dear child of God, decide to do much for the master.

THOUGHT: IN MAKING YOURSELF NOTHING THROUGH HUMILITY, YOU BECOME EVERYTHING TO MANY

FURTHER STUDIES

Philippians 2:7,9-10. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

1 Corinthians 9:22.”To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:15.”And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. “

Please read through Matthew 25:14–31

This parable given by the Lord teaches us so many things about life

The following are some of the lessons we learn from the parable

1. God has given every body some ability to be successful in life (Matt 25:15)

2. Everyone is given according to his ability which also comes from the Lord. (Matt 25:15)

3. We must recognise it and be thankful to the Lord.

4. Each one must work with his God given ability to become successful (Matt 25:16).

5. Each one succeeds according to his potential, and must not envy another man’s level of success. (Matt 25:16&17)

6. God who gave us the abilities will one day require of us our results or fruits (Matt 25:19)

7. God would reward us according to our fruits (Matt 25:20)

8.People’s failure in life, is not because of a lack of potentials, or gifts but because of wrong attitude (Matt 25:24-25)

9. Those who fail to make use of their potentials will suffer first in this life and in eternity (Matt 25:26)

10. If you fail to be fruitful, the little you have would be taken from you and given to those who have more. (Matt 25:28)

Lesson 1: God has given each person some ability, to be successful in life.

This very point applies both to your natural talents and your spiritual responsibilities.

For your spiritual responsibilities you have to apply yourself to serving the Lord as diligent as possible. You have to commit yourself to winning the lost. Just put in your best efforts.

THOUGHT; YOUR BEST EFFORTS IS YOUR BEST WAY TO PROVE YOU ARE NOT WASTING YOUR GIFTS.

FURTHER STUDIES

Romans 12:8. Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

2 Peter 1:5. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:9. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

We continue with our discussion on the above topic. The wise virgins and the foolish ones waited for the bridegroom, and even slept. They went expecting the bridegroom to show up right away, yet they waited, and waited, till they fell asleep. The Lord is reminding us that His coming will definitely not be as we expect. There will surely be a delay that may cause many to sleep. Do not allow anyone to deceive you that Jesus coning is long overdue. The bridegroom, ultimately came, when there was a cry at midnight, announcing the coming of the bridegroom. Jesus would surely come again.

The Lord Jesus shall also come back in a similar manner.1 Thessalonians 4:16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: This is the event of the rapture that will receive all those who are ready for the Master. In Jesus parable, the virgins quickly trimmed their lamps, but the foolish realised that their oil was finished. They asked those who had extra lamp to give them some of their oil. The oil which stands for the Holy Spirit, cannot be given out, but each one must buy his, through a positive investment of your time in God. Dear child of God, what do you use your time for? Many of us use our moments for so many things that has nothing doing with fellowshipping with the Spirit. Buying oil is all about fellowshipping with the Spirit.

Many Christians are not shining, because, they have no oils in their lamps. Those without oil were eventually refused entry into the marriage supper. Some Christians would miss the rapture. The Lord said He does not know them, because these were mouth Christians who were not practising Christians. Remember it is not those who just say, Lord, Lord, that shall enter the kingdom of God, but those who do the will of God.

THOUGHT: YOU CAN BE KNOWN TO CHRIST BY DOING THE WORD

FURTHER STUDIES

Matthew 7:21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mark 3:35. For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

WISE OR FOOLISH?

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:1. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

The Lord gave a parable about some ten virgins who went to wait for a bridegroom who was to come at an unknown hour. This parable relates directly to the coming of our Lord Jesus, as the Church waits for him. The virgins are symbolic of waiting Christians. After the gathering of the saints unto the Lord (the rapture), there would be a big marriage supper of the lamb, with the church. Revelation 19:9. “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. “Dear one would you be in this glorious marriage supper? The virgins, took their lamps to go and meet the bridegroom.

What is the symbol of the lamb? The lamb stands for their life or light that must keep shining always. Remember, the Lord asked us to let our light keep shinning Matt 5:16. When the believers light goes out it is a sign that he or she has fallen out of grace. The Holy Spirit is our agent of grace. He keeps our light burning. We need to be filled always. Ephesians 5:18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; The Holy Spirit is the seal on the life of every Christian, proving that we belong to Christ. (Eph 1:13) He is also the guarantee or down payment for the ultimate possession by the Lord when He returns (Eph 1:14). A life devoid of him makes that person empty of any claim by the Lord. The bible said, those virgins were wise because they took extra oil. They were not casual Christians.

The foolish virgins took no extra oil. To take extra oil depends on your lifestyle. It is about how one uses his or her time. The bible talks about redeeming the time Ephesians 5:16. When one spends time praying, reading the scriptures and meditating on the scriptures, or joining other brethren in fellowship, he or she is investing her time in the Lord and will be filling up himself with the Spirit. The following verse in Ezekiel 2:2 says “] And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. When the prophet heard the word, the Spirit entered into him. You must give attention to hearing the word. Those foolish virgins had no time for the things of the Spirit yet they were waiting for the bridegroom. Don’t be a casual believer.

THOUGHT:  HAVING A TITLE AS A CHRISTIAN MEANS NOTHING, IT IS BEING A PRACTITIONER.

FURTHER STUDIES

Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Ephesians 5:15-16. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:44. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

No one knows the hour that the Lord shall return. The scriptures caution us to live in readiness of His coming. In Matt 24:45, HE gives the children of the kingdom a clue. He says we must be wise and faithful servants.

To be wise means to incline your heart and ear to whatever the word says. It means to tremble at the word of God. To be wise also means forsaking sin in any form. One sin that takes most people unawares is unforgiveness.

The other qualities for preparation is to be faithful servants. No child of God must be idle doing nothing. The Lord talked about the servant who faithfully took care of the people, God had placed in his care. Everyone has something to do. Do every work in the house of God faithfully.

There are some people who know so much in the bible yet, they will not join any church, nor play any role in establishing souls for Christ. I wish to ask such people; what specific work are they doing in anticipation for the Lord’s return? Do not deceive yourself.

Luke 19:13. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come”. God has made an investment in each one of us, and so, please, make use of it

Apostle Paul also teaches us how we could live in readiness for the coming of the master. In 2 Timothy 4:1-8, he admonishes pastor Timothy about how-to live-in readiness of the coming of the master.

From 2 Tim 4:1-8 we learn that;

1. We must preach the word at every available opportunity.

2.We must reprove, rebuke with all long-suffering and doctrine

3. We must be on the alert in everything (so that we are not deceived) ,

4. We must endure affliction and make full prove of our ministry.

5. We must also do the work of an evangelist.

Apostle Paul said he was ready to be killed because he had fought the good fight, finished his course and had kept the faith. We must fight the good fight and keep the faith till the end.

THOUGHT:   FAITHFUL SERVICE KEEPS YOU READY

FURTHER STUDIES

1 Corinthians 15:58.”Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

2 Timothy 4:5. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:14. ” And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come “.

Why would the LORD come back to this earth to take us unto Himself? The coming of the Lord is to wipe the earth of the evil and wickedness and reward the just and upright. In the days of Noah, God judged the earth with the flood because of sin. Genesis 6:5. “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. The Lord commissioned Noah to build the Ark, for all those who would respond to his call to forsake sin and believe in God’s righteous ways. The Bible said they did not believe him. Matthew 24:38. “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark”,

Sin and rebellion against God keep abounding. His coming will end the lease period that men have upon the earth. Acts 17:31. “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead”. Everyone must consider his or her life in the light of the coming judgement. Events unfolding in this world show that the coming of the Lord is at the door. Our key scripture says, this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all nations, then shall the end come. Through the Internet the gospel is going very far and very fast. Places where there were iron bars to the gospel is opening up.

How ready are you? What part are you playing to spread the message and also witness with your life to those who relate directly to you? Would you join those who would escape? The ark was the only escape. Jesus is the present ark. Come to Him in humility before it is forever shut to you. Two things would eternally shut Christ from you;

 1.When you die.

2. When Jesus appears.

The Lord said no one knows the hour when He shall come.

Matthew 24:42.”Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

 Dear one, don’t be deceived by anyone. Jesus came for the first time; HE would surely fulfill His promise of coming again.

THOUGHT: GOD JUDGED THE WORLD IN NOAH’S TIME, HE WILL DO SO IN CHRIST RETURN.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Peter 2:5.”And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;”

Luke 17:26. “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

Read Matthew 24

The disciples asked the Lord about when the end shall come, as well as the events leading to His return.

The Lord began by saying each one should take heed lest he is not deceived. There are various ways that one could be deceived concerning the Lord second coming.

1.There will be those who would say its been a very long time since the Lord said He was coming, but He has not come. They claim He is not coming at all. The word said this will happen in 2 Peter 3:4. “And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” Please compare this scripture with what men are saying these days. The Lord is long-suffering towards all men. Don’t allow those who claim to use common sense to deceive you.

2. Some will be deceived by falls Christ and all kinds of false teachers.

3. There would be wars and rumours of wars, yet that is not the end. These events do not necessarily point to the end, but a beginning of calamities that would be happening.

4. The Lord said Christians would be persecuted. Christians have been persecuted since the ascension of Jesus, yet it would be more intensive prior to the coming of Jesus.

5.Many shall be offended and betray one another.2 Thess.2:3, says, there will be a fall away, due to worldliness, persecutions and all kinds of deceptions that would be going on. The love of many would wax cold.

These signs currently prevail all around us. Be careful you are not overtaken, by worldliness, lukewarmness and offence in any form.

Build a strong relationship with the Lord. Serve Him in His house and be a soul winner. Live each day in readiness of His appearing. Remember just as He went up, so shall He come back.

THOUGHT: SINCE JESUS ONCE CAME DOWN, HE WILL SURELY COME BACK AGAIN AS THE BIBLE HAS SAID

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 1:11. Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

2 Thessalonians 2:3. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”