A Mustard Seed of Faith
This picture is of tiny seeds. Mustard seeds are very tiny. Yet, God compares this tiny seed to the amount of faith that we need to have. Looking at Matthew 17:20 New American Standard Bible, we see that Jesus had just been talking to the disciples about little faith:
And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
And in Luke 17:5-6 NASB as Jesus talks to his disciples about faith again, we read:
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.
If we want to learn more about this faith that Jesus says we need to have, then we may want to learn more about mustard seeds. So what are the qualities of a mustard seed? We see these qualities in Matthew 13:31-33NASB where the mustard seed is described:
He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
In light of all these verses, we can see that a mustard seed has the following qualities:
A secure identity- The mustard seed does not question whether it will grow into a mustard tree or not. The mustard seed knows if it is properly nourished, then it will become what God intended it to be.
Nourishment- Matthew Henry commentary on the Matthew 13 verses says, “A grain of mustard-seed is small, but however it is seed, and has in it a disposition to grow.” * In other words, the mustard seed is supposed to grow. It has an inclination to grow. But it has to be properly nourished with nutrient rich soil and water. Just so, our faith cannot help but grow, if we nourish it with nutrients from God’s Word and with the fresh water of His presence, the Living Water Himself (see Romans 10:17)
Hope– The mustard seed is very small. so it does not matter how small your faith starts out, it can grow into something much bigger!
Wait- Just as in the natural, a seed takes time to grow, so it is with the spiritual; your seed of faith will take time to grow. Be patient: there is no microwave faith. If nourished adequately, your faith will grow… eventually!
Moving mountains and uprooting trees- If your faith is like a mustard seed, with God you can move mountains and uproot trees! Ever seen a mountain move or a tree uproot and plant itself in the sea just because someone told it to? The point is that with faith in God, you can believe for the impossible!
Service- Just as the mustard seed grows into a tree that shelters the birds, we can know that our faith is growing, if our faith is helping us minister to, serve, and encourage others.
Be encouraged ye of little faith (I include myself, here!), because all you need is a LITTLE MUSTARD SEED OF FAITH! If you nourish this faith with His Word and the Living Water, your faith cannot help but grow!
So moms, be encouraged that
WITH A LITTLE MUSTARD SEED OF FAITH, YOU CAN BELIEVE FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE!
In His Love,
Suzanne
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