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.
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God is Looking for You to be an Agent of Divine Influence.
Influence Over Being Influenced:
— God has positioned you to be a light and salt in the world, influencing your surroundings with His love, light, truth, and power.
— Your divine assignment involves permeating your environment with the Kingdom principles, even when it seems counter-cultural or challenging. You should not be ashamed of mentioning “the way God would address it” or “God’s ways of looking at the situation.”
— Remember, you are called to be in the world but not of it, maintaining your spiritual integrity even amidst worldly influences.
The Fig Tree’s Missed Assignment:
— The fig tree, placed in the vineyard, had an opportunity to stand out and demonstrate its purpose by bearing figs.
— Its failure to produce fruit may symbolize surrendering to external pressures or neglecting its intrinsic purpose and potential.
— Just like the fig tree, you are planted in specific environments not to conform but to transform them by embodying and exhibiting God’s nature and character in you.
Being Unshakable in Your Assignment:
— God expects you to remain steadfast and fruitful, even in challenging or unfamiliar territories.
— If you give up on assignments you don’t like or find difficult, you lack discipline and dedication; both are required for true discipleship.
— Your ability to influence your environment is directly tied to your faith in God’s Word and your commitment to your divine assignment.
— Your influence is not determined by the size of your platform but by the depth of your conviction and your consistency in living out your faith.
— Big or small, God expects you to impact your sphere of influence.
The Power of Positive Spiritual Influence:
— Your consistent, authentic walk with God serves as a beacon of light to others, guiding them toward the truth and love of Christ.
— Your life, when lived in alignment with God’s will, becomes a powerful testament of His grace, mercy, and transformative power.
— Your influence extends beyond your immediate surroundings, impacting the spiritual atmosphere and paving the way for God’s Kingdom to be established wherever you go. Said another way, your presence can change an environment in ways you cannot see, which is why God needs you to be your authentic self everywhere He blesses you to go. If you are inauthentic, your presence won’t change anything!
Avoid the Pitfall of Compromise:
— The fig tree’s lack of fruit may symbolize a compromise of its divine assignment, choosing conformity over distinction.
— Your influence is diluted when compromise creeps in. Maintaining a posture of holiness and obedience ensures that your impact is potent and aligns with God’s purposes.
— God is not merely looking for external displays of influence but a heart that is fully yielded to Him, ensuring that your impact is rooted in genuine love and truth.
The Ripple Effect of Your Influence:
— Your obedience and influence have a ripple effect, impacting lives, shifting atmospheres, and facilitating encounters with God’s presence.
— Every act of obedience, every instance where you choose to influence rather than be influenced, sends waves of transformation into the spiritual realm, effecting change in ways you may not immediately see.
— Your steadfastness in being an agent of divine influence sets a precedent, inspiring others to also stand firm and shine brightly for Christ in their respective spheres.
In essence, God is looking for believers who will stand firm, bear fruit, and exert divine influence, transforming every environment they enter with the power of God’s grace.
Your influence is not just about what you say but more importantly, about how you live, demonstrating the Kingdom of God in action to a world in desperate need of His light. God is looking for you to be HIS LIGHT in a dark, dying, and decaying world.
2. God Wants You to be So Impactful That You Reproduce Yourself.
Bloom Where You’re Planted:
— God’s desire is for you to thrive, grow, and bear fruit in every environment He places you in, regardless of the conditions or challenges.
— Your ability to bloom where you’re planted is a testament to the resilience, adaptability, and power of the life of God within you.
— Blooming involves not just personal growth but also contributing to the spiritual and physical enrichment of the environment and people around you.
Converting Vineyards into Orchards:
— I believe God placed that fig tree in a vineyard because He wanted to transform the vineyeard into an orchard. The tree was supposed to reproduce itself. But you cannot reproduce yourself if you refuse to produce fruit.
— When fruit hits the ground, it does so with SEED inside of it. The SEED contains the power to reproduce the tree that created it. This is the cycle that God wants to initiate in, with, and through you!
— God’s intention in planting you in various ‘vineyards’ (environments or spheres of influence) is for you to bring transformation and introduce the culture of His Kingdom there.
— Your presence should initiate a shift, causing an environment that may have been barren or unfruitful in certain aspects to begin to experience the life and fruitfulness of God’s Kingdom.
— Just like a single fig tree has the potential to transform a vineyard into an orchard, your influence should facilitate an environment where Kingdom principles are established and multiplied.
Reproducing Yourself in Others:
— God’s model of discipleship involves reproducing the life, character, and power of Christ in others, ensuring that the impact is multiplied and sustained.
— Your impact is not just in what you do but in who you raise – the individuals you disciple, mentor, and empower to also be fruitful and multiply in their contexts.
— Reproducing yourself involves intentionally investing in others, imparting not just skills or knowledge but the character, faith, and spirit-led approach that has defined your walk with God.
A Legacy of Fruitfulness:
— Your impact and influence should extend beyond your immediate actions and lifetime, establishing a legacy of fruitfulness, faithfulness, and Kingdom advancement.
— Reproducing yourself ensures that the seeds you plant continue to grow, bear fruit, and also reproduce, creating a generational impact that echoes into eternity.
— Your legacy is built not just on the notable achievements you accumulate but on the lives you touch, transform, and set ablaze for God’s glory.
The Multiplication Principle:
— God’s Kingdom operates on the principle of multiplication, where seeds sown grow, bear fruit, and produce seeds for subsequent harvests.
— Your life, influence, and impact should inherently contain the seeds for multiplication, ensuring that every act of obedience and every fruit borne leads to further Kingdom expansion.
— Multiplication involves not just adding to what is already there but exponentially increasing impact, influence, and fruitfulness in a way that only the life of God can facilitate.
A Catalyst for Kingdom Expansion:
— Your life should serve as a catalyst for Kingdom expansion, where your influence causes a domino effect, initiating cycles of salvation, discipleship, and further reproduction.
— Being a catalyst involves being both a recipient and a conduit of God’s grace, power, and wisdom, ensuring that you are continuously filled and continuously pouring out into others.
— Your life, therefore, becomes a channel through which others encounter God, are discipled in His ways, and are then empowered to disciple others in turn.
In closing, God is looking for believers who will not only be fruitful but will also reproduce that fruitfulness in others, ensuring a legacy of Kingdom impact and a continuous multiplication of disciples who live, love, and lead like Jesus.
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
I am Your light and salt in the world, steadfastly influencing my surroundings with Your divine love and truth.
I am unshakeable in my divine assignment, embodying Your nature and character to transform every environment You place me in.
I refuse to compromise, maintaining a heart fully yielded to You, ensuring my impact aligns with Your purposes.
Father, I bloom where I am planted, contributing to the spiritual and physical enrichment of the environments and people around me.
I am committed to reproducing Your life, character, and power in others, ensuring a legacy of Kingdom impact and continuous multiplication.
My life serves as a catalyst for Kingdom expansion, initiating cycles of salvation, discipleship, and further reproduction in every sphere of influence.
I live, love, and lead like Jesus, being a conduit of Your grace in a world in desperate need of Your light.
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!
