Luke 19:12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
This passage of scripture teaches us that we should not be waiting for the coming of The Lord in idleness, but that we should be making the most of all spiritual and temporal opportunities whilst probation still lingers. In this instance, The Lord called His servants and gave to them material gifts with the intent that they should be used in trading or investments, because He expected a return on the gifts thus granted. The servants were not to wait in idle expectation of The Lord's return, by letting economic opportunities slip by, but instead were to be actively engaged in buying and selling and making advancements in all other areas of life, for to do so would not necessarily distract them from their main focus of being ready for His return.
Furthermore, the one servant who sat on his portion of money lent him by The Lord, and who preserved it in perfect condition until He returned, was debarred from the gates of heaven for the singular reason that he refused to improve on the investment given him. In referencing the unfaithful attitude of this steward, The Lord said that he should at least have put the money in the bank, so that it could gain interest, because the fundamental teaching here is that it is not good enough for us to remain stagnant whilst we prepare for Christ's second coming, but we should actively be engaged in advancing, both in temporal and spiritual lines. Let's read:
Luke 19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee"... 23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
There are very many Christians who stumble upon this very point, in that we are waiting in eager expectancy of the Lord's return, but are in a quandary as to whether we should be making advancements in life. And there are many others who for the same reason put the purchasing of a home, or the pursuit of higher education on hold, because the time of The Lord's return is imminent, and therefore, instead of making the most of present opportunities, we allow days and weeks, and months and years to slip by, without making progress in the temporal things of life. This view is not supported either in the parable, or in any other portion of the scriptures, for when the Lord does appear, He will be coming to receive servants in active duty, not in idle expectancy, as some erroneously believe.
Let us therefore put forth maximum effort and energy in the up-building of God's kingdom, and also in the improvement of present temporal opportunities, as The Lord directs us, for Christ's instruction to occupy till He comes, is applicable to all areas of life, and when we are thus engaged under His guidance, our earnest expectation of His soon return will not be dampened, but will instead be energized by the very thought that we are doing our very best to be the best that we can be by His grace. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that demonstrates the mindset of those who are living with the expectation of Christ's soon return, and it is the will of God that all Christians be found in forward gear when He appears. Let's read:
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!