Don't become stagnant.

There is a parable in Luke chapter 13:6-9 where a landowner shows up at this farm to look over his fig trees. He shows up at the time of the harvest and his eye is caught by one certain tree that has been on the farm for over three years and it still has not produced any fruit. He looks at the caretaker of the orchard and tells him to cut it down and get rid of it, it is just robbing nutrients from the trees that are producing fruit. The caretaker tells him to give it a little time and if it does not produce fruit soon then they will cut it down. As we study the parable the parable of the talents, I can not help but draw a comparison between the servant who received one talent and did absolutely nothing with it and the fig tree from Luke 13. The master expected the fig tree to produce figs and the master expected his servant to grow what he had entrusted him with while he was away. In both cases it was unacceptable for the master to return and find out that the tree and the individual had not done what was expected of them. They did not except excuses for the lack of results and simply looked at the situation for what it was, you dispose of or remove what is useless and unprofitable to you.
If you have followed this ministry over time then you have heard us say this on multiple occasions, stagnation is never a good place to be spiritually. If you are not growing spiritually then you are probably dying spiritually. Our relationship with God is one that is designed to be every growing and every increasing and we are to never reach a plateau. This is what God expect of us, He expects growth, and He expects us to be active ambassadors for His Kingdom on this earth. We do not want to be caught off guard by the Master when he returns and have limbs that are void of fruit or a bag full of unused talents. These parables are designed to teach us about the Kingdom of God so that we are not surprised or caught off guard when the Kingdom functions as it is designed to function. Unprofitable, non-growing, procrastinating members are cut off and separated from the Kingdom. The profitable loyal servants who are working on God’s behalf will be the only one who enter the Kingdom of God. Matthew 25:21 let us know that the “good and faithful” servants are what the Master is looking for when He returns.