And He began telling this parable,

"A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'"

We were talking in Bible class the other night about this parable of Jesus, and its message of how each one of us has a fixed amount of time to start serving the Lord. There are many lessons we can draw from this short parable, but the overriding message is one of warning and perspective. In short, we better get started bearing fruit in our service to God before it is too late for us to do so. The clear warning is that God expects His servants to bear fruit. Those who do not are just using up His precious resources. You can compare such a person to a tick or other parasite that just lives off his host without providing anything beneficial in return. It's a lesson that all would be servants of God need to take to heart.

But there is another side to this parable that got me to thinking about how many men view God. The clear implication in this parable is that God is the owner of the vineyard, and that we are the trees that are expected to bear fruit. However, as in so many areas of life, men often get to forgetting just who is in charge, and who is to serve. That's what I want to talk about today.

I have noticed that there are many men and women who seem convinced that God is here to serve them. If anything goes wrong in their lives, they are quick to blame God. They ask questions like, "If you really are God, why did you let this happen?' or they say, "If God will do this for me, then I will believe in Him." In fact, they base their entire relationship upon their perception of how God is or is not living up to their expectations. It is as if, in their eyes, that they are the owner of the vineyard and God is the fig tree. In their convoluted way of thinking they decide if God starts bearing fruit for them, then fine! But if not, they are going to cut Him out of their lives completely.

How foolish is that?

It's like a spoiled two-year old that throws a tantrum every time Mommy or Daddy doesn't give them what they want. These people really do live without a speck of appreciation as to what God has done for them, and they do not realize the incredible blessings that could be theirs if they would simply trust in God and begin to serve both He and Christ with all of their heart. This type of individual really does think that God owes them something. As a result, their prayers are something akin to a kidnapper's ransom demands: "Give me this, or else!" Because of this convoluted type of thinking, many people are foolishly giving God an ultimatum. They decide within their own minds that if God does not come through for them, then they will be through with God!

And, sadly, many times they are...

If we ever get to the point where we are genuinely considering whether God is worth our time and efforts, then we need to wake up before it is too late! Whether we asked to be born or not, here we are! The grateful individual will be most appreciative for the fact that God has created them. The wise person will understand that it is they who owe a debt of service to God, and not the other way around. Despite many people's apparent belief to the contrary, this world does not revolve around us! Nor were we put here to somehow judge God's adequacy in pleasing us.

It is a great gift that God did allow us to be born, and it is a tremendous privilege to be able to serve Him. To those who recognize this gift and privilege, God offers the opportunity of eternal service in a Paradise that we deserve no more than we do this precious life that He has so lovingly given us. If we are ever going to be able to take advantage of His offer of this very great reward, we will first have to gain the proper perspective. It is we who were created by God, not the other way around. It is we who are the tree that must bear good fruit in order to fulfil the purpose for which we were created.

If we have gotten these things mixed up, thinking that we somehow are the owner of the vineyard and that God is merely our vassal who is here to serve us, then we need to get our thinking straight. For it is abundantly clear that we are here for a limited time to prove our love and our worth to the true Master. If we can get our perspective straight and combine it with an appreciative desire to serve, then we will someday have an eternity of service in no less of a place than Heaven! But, if we fail to get our perspective right, we may find ourselves (much sooner than we could ever imagine) being plucked from our last opportunity to serve. What then will become of us? Perhaps we all should get to the pleasant work of producing fruit for the Master before it is too late!