This morning, we continue our series on “The Parables of Jesus.” We will seek to glean “Pearls from the Parables.”
Before we get to the parable, let’s look at a scripture we have been looking at all year. This is something I believe the Lord wants us to meditate on.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us.
(Luke 13:6-9 NKJV)
6 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.
7 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?’
8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also until I dig around it and fertilize it.
9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that, you can cut it down.’ “
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God did not have to consult with you before He destined you! God is God.
David said: “Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.” (Psalm 139:16 MSG)
— The owner of the fig tree in the parable did not consult with the fig tree before he moved the tree to a vineyard.
— I am sure the tree loved being around other fig trees, and it probably did not like being around grapes once it was moved. But his assignment was to bloom where he was planted.
— He was supposed to bloom and produce fruit in a vineyard, even though he as the only one (like him) there.
— God called David to be a king. He was raised a shepherd boy. God never consulted with David before assigning him to his purpose. David was assigned before he was born.
— I am sure David enjoyed his life while he was living as “Jesse’s son” in Bethlehem. But God had other plans for David, and God did not need to get David’s permission.
— What was true for the fig tree and for David is true for you.
— God called you according to His divine purpose, and He did not consult with you first.
2. God did not ask Abraham if he wanted to be a Father of Many Nations.
(Gen 12:1-3 ERV)
The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country and your people. Leave your father’s family and go to the country that I will show you. I will build a great nation from you. I will bless you and make your name famous. People will use your name to bless other people. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you. I will use you to bless all the people on earth.”
— God did not ask Abram is he wanted to leave.
— God did not consult with Abram before choosing him for his purpose.
— It’s not like Abram worked for it or earned it.
— God just chose Abram to be the Father of Many Nations and like He chose Abram, He chose us!
God’s purpose is God’s idea, not yours.
— If you look at Abraham’s call, it has everything to do with God. This was not Abraham’s idea.
— God told Abraham to leave his country.
— God said that He would tell him where to go.
— God said that He would make his name great.
— God said that he would bless all the families of the earth through him.
— This was God’s idea, not Abraham’s.
— Likewise, the call on your life is God’s idea, not yours.
— God called you before the world began.
3. Purpose cannot be decided because God decided your purpose before the world began. Therefore, purpose must be discovered.
— You don’t choose your purpose. You must discover it because God chose you before you were born.
— The fig tree in the parable did not decide that it wanted to be planted in a vineyard. No. The owner of the tree decided.
— God is your owner. He is your Lord. He decided what to do with you before He planted you in this world.
— And when He planted you, He planted you where He wanted you!
— God predestined you for your divine assignment according to His plan without consulting you. You were not even around yet :-).
— Before your existence, God ordained you for a specific purpose.
— You were anointed for your assignment even before you were formed in your mother’s womb.
— Your life was mapped out by God before you were born. This includes the specific work you are called to accomplish.
— These specific works align with God’s grand plan for your life.
4. Your success in life is tied to your purpose.
— You were born for a reason. More specifically, you were created by a divine Creator for a reason. That reason is the divine purpose Your Creator had in His mind when He sent you to this planet.
— If that is true (and it is), then you will never find true success in life until you discover, accept, develop, and deploy into your purpose, with the full intent of accomplishing it BEFORE YOU DIE!
— Your life cannot be about YOU! Your life must be about the God who created you!
— True success can only be realized when you FIND, FOLLOW, and FINISH your divine assignment. Said another way, the only way to be successful in life is by discovering what God sent you to this planet to do and then DOING IT while you are in the land of the living.
— You only get one life. So please don’t waste it on selfish pursuits. Said another way, you must accept your lot in life!
— Running from your calling will not change your assignment. All you are doing is delaying the inevitable.
— If you want to live a life pleasing in God’s sight, there will come a day when you get tired of running. When you do, your calling will still be waiting on you!
— This is a good place to point out the fact that you cannot disqualify yourself from your assignment because you never qualified in the first place. The Bible says, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29). You can run, you can try to hide, and you can delay it, but the whole time, your calling will be calling you!
5. The grace of God is on you to succeed, even when you feel like you are unqualified or not prepared.
— The grace of God was on the fig tree to produce figs, even though the owner of the fig tree chose to planet it in a vineyard.
— It would be unrighteous of the owner to expect the tree to do something without setting the conditions for its success.
— The power of the tree set the tree up for success because he knew the conditions were right for it to produce.
— This is why he was frustrated when the tree refused to do what it was DESTINED to do!
Let’s look at some examples of this:
Jeremiah.
— Jeremiah thought he was too young for his assignment (to be a prophet), but God promised to put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth.
— Jeremiah simply needed to provide the mouth, and God would fill it with words. Like Jeremiah, God will manifest provision for His vision for your life.
— But like Jeremiah, you must accept God’s assignment, your “lot in life,” to become successful.
— If Jeremiah had run from his calling to be a prophet and had tried to be successful doing something else, he would have wasted his life and frustrated the grace of God because you cannot be a success outside of your purpose.
Gideon.
— Gideon saw himself as the weakest man from the weakest clan in all of Israel.
— God called him a champion, but he saw himself as a coward.
— Gideon had to accept his assignment, his “lot in life,” to become successful.
— Once he did, God helped convert him into the champion God called him to be.
— Gideon, a man who was once a scared farmer, was transformed into a mighty man of valor.
— He led 300 men to victory against over 135,000 men. Why? Because it was his destiny. It was his purpose, and God was with him.
— As God was with Gideon, He shall be with you when you start walking in your divine assignment. Nothing shall be impossible to you!
Paul.
— While the Apostle Paul was known as Saul of Tarsus, he was on the opposite side of God’s best for his life.
— He was sincere but sincerely wrong.
— God revealed Himself to Saul and talked to him about his divine purpose.
— Saul had to accept his assignment, his “lot in life,” in order to find true success.
— God converted him from Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul, and he went on to make the greatest impact in the first-century church.
— Paul’s ministry is still changing lives today, over 2,000 years later, because Paul accepted his lot in life.
— When you accept your lot in life, and you stop trying to be someone else, the impact God can make through you will outlive you! You will leave a legacy of righteousness, all because you accepted your lot in life!
Mary.
— God approached a young girl (Mary) who was engaged to be married and revealed to her that she had a divine assignment.
— She had been selected, completely by God’s unearned grace, to be the mother of Jesus.
— Mary had to accept her assignment, her “lot in life.” and she fulfilled her purpose.
— Like Mary, you will need to understand faith and grace.
— The grace part is that Mary did nothing to earn the assignment. She was selected by God. She was chosen, just like you have been chosen.
— Like Mary, you will require faith. Mary had to believe what God believed about her.
— Mary’s assignment was a human impossibility. But she believed it. When she did, the humanly impossible became possible for her.
— Will you accept your lot in life, no matter how impossible it seems?
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
You did not need to consult with me before You destined my path. You are God, and Your ways are higher than mine.
Just as David recognized that his life was laid out before him, I too believe that every stage of my life is under Your divine orchestration.
Like the fig tree, I may not always understand where I am planted, but I trust that You have a purpose for me in every season and location.
I embrace the truth that, like David, my assignment was determined before I even took my first breath. You have a divine purpose for me, and it was established without my input.
I understand that my purpose cannot be decided by me, but rather, it was decided by You before the world began. My role is to discover and align with it.
I believe that true success in life is tied to fulfilling the purpose You have set for me. My life is not about my desires, but about fulfilling Your divine plan.
I commit to walking in alignment with Your purpose, trusting in Your plan, and relying on Your grace every step of the way.
Living with this mindset, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
