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His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. [Matthew 25:23 KJV]

All servants but one produced double what their master (God) entrusted them. There is an answer I saw here that said it was about doing something with the faith given to each person, and producing fruit. This is as I also understand it, I understand the meaning of the scripture but it doesn’t help me at all if I don’t know how to put it into practice. What is acceptable fruit? What does producing fruit BY YOUR FAITH look like today? I work a job, we speak about Christ often. We speak about scripture. Short of going out and preaching on a street corner (my knowledge of scripture isn’t there yet and what I do understand I find hard to know exactly how to put it into practice), what fruit is there to produce?

I don’t want to be like the last servant who dug a hole in the earth and hid the masters talents. I need some direction.

I should have prefaced the question by stating that I understand that we don’t live a works based salvation, but the word says that faith without works is dead. And, you show me your faith without works and I will show you my faith BY my works.

I hope that the link I post is to the answer I saw that made me ask this question. It was a good answer and I believe is an accurate one. I just need more depth, knowledge and understanding.

The answer I reference was by MSW.

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Here we must recall that salvation is entirely the initiative of God and that man’s (positive) response is due to God’s prompting (Phil 2:13, John 6:44, 12:32, Rom 2:4, 5:6, 8, 1 Cor 12:3, 1 John 4:19; repentance is also a gift Acts 5:31, 11:18, 2 Tim 2:25), but this does not preclude the possibility that a person can reject the prompting and pleading of the Holy Spirit (as the parable of the talents shows).

The answer to the OP's question is given in several passages such as:

  • Rom 12:3 - For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.
  • Rom 12:6-8 - We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
  • John 14:15 - If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
  • 1 Cor 12:4-11 - There are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things in all people. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in various tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who apportions them to each one as He determines.

From this survey, I conclude the following:

  • the allocation of faith to each person is God's initiative
  • each person is called to do a different work for God, and all are called to do something

Thus, the OP's question must be answered by each person and what God has called that person to do.

  • In the apostle Paul's case it was to be a missionary to foreign lands.
  • In the case of Agabus, it was to be a prophet
  • In other cases it might be administration, helpfulness, comfort of the grieved, preaching, teaching, etc, etc.

... but all are called to do something for God as one of His followers.

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    +1 a difficult question to answer because it seems like a side issue. The main issue seems to be what one does with one's gifts. Commented Oct 8, 2025 at 1:14
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In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

We may wonder, however, since even unbelievers can display these qualities, how do they truly distinguish a believer from an unbeliever? The difference lie not in the outward actions but in the heart behind them. A believer produces these fruits out of love for God and for His glory, whereas an unbeliever does so for self-glorification or moral pride.

With this understanding, let's examine the Parable of the Talents. In Matthew 25:15, it says:

To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.

It is important to note that the phrase "each according to his ability" refers to their existing capacity, not a new gift imparted from God. The master assigned responsibilities proportionate to what each servant was already able to handle. Yet, despite their differing results, both the first and second servants receive the same commendation and reward from their master.

This teaches us that God does not measure the value of our work by its scale or outcome, but by the devotion of our hearts. What He seeks is faithfulness, not performance.

To love God requires no special knowledge, nor does devotion demand great skill - it flows naturally from a sincere heart.

Jesus offers a further explanation of this principle in Luke 12:46-48:

46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Through this, we understand that the first two servants fulfilled the Lord's expectation out of devotion, while the last servant did not. His failure revealed a lack of faith and love for his master - thus, he was treated as an unbeliever.

One should never underestimate their own capacity for devotion, for it requires not extensive knowledge but a sincere heart. Otherwise, when the Lord comes unexpectedly, they will be found among the unbelievers.

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