Like a Mustard Seed

By: Mae Archila

Thursday, November 21, 2024

“Because of your little faith, for truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing is impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 (ESV)

Jesus’ encouragement on faith is still vital today. Why? Because we’ve all relied on our own strength rather than God's when facing a problem. Sometimes, we only ask God to get involved when our problem seems big and immovable. Christ follower, take your eyes off that "mountain" and fix your gaze on Christ! In scripture, tiny mustard seeds symbolize the potential our faith has. God is pleased by our faith, so regardless of its initial size, He will grow and mature it. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

A mustard seed may be tiny, but it is very resistant to being crushed, burnt, or broken. Trust God to strengthen your faith so you can resist the attacks of this world. Genuine faith is about trusting God and having a faith-based relationship with Him. Remember, we are called to live our lives by faith, regardless of what the world says or does. We show our faith to the world through our words, actions, and attitudes. The mustard seed starts small, but it eventually grows into a beautiful plant. God will grow our small amount of faith until it matures into something beautiful. As Christ followers, we are called to share our faith with others 365 days a year. So how does God grow our faith? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

But if our faith is weak or ebbing, the best fix is to ask God to increase it. The book of Mark has a great story about someone asking for a "faith increase" from Jesus. In Mark 9, a man's son was possessed by a demon for a long time. When he asked Jesus for help, Jesus asked the man if he believed Jesus was able to cast out the demon. Here's the man's answer; ...the father cried out. He said with tears in his eyes, “Lord, I have faith. Help my weak faith to be stronger!” Mark 9:23-24 (NLV)

At times, we've probably all felt just like this father did. We trust God, we have faith, but we're not sure we have enough faith to overcome our problems. If that's you, don't hesitate! Cry out to God and ask Him to increase the faith you have!