Mt 17:20
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
Mt 13:31-32
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
Mr 4:30-32
He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
Lk 17:6
Where do you keep your mustard seed?
Take any of the verses that refer to the mustard seed - whether it is your faith or the Kingdom of God, - it is a seed. That means:
- tiny
- needs to be planted (preferably in good soil - Mt 13:1-9)
- needs sun and water to sprout
- needs to stay rooted and not be torn out, maybe needs protection from sheep that thinks that God had brought it to a good pasture.
It is very comforting to know that all we need is a "small faith"; it can be a size of something tiny that, if handled properly, will grow.
The danger #1 with this small faith is that we may forget where we planted it, and then some thankful sheep eats it for second breakfast. Think about it. Have you ever prayed for something, and forgot about it, only to be reminded when you see the exact thing happening for somebody else?
The danger #2 is that we focus too much on the fruit we are trying to grow, and keep replanting the seed... In spiritual sense, this is what I call asking from God in disbelief. Once we ask, we need to shift to believing, and praying with this faith (providing sun, water and protection), lest it can't grow.
The danger #3 could be that, it takes so long for the seed to sprout, that we forget what kind of tree we've planted. We need to recognise it when it starts growing. We need to be grateful for the early signs and not accept them as a grown tree. We need to stick with our little plant until the birds can find shade in its branches (unless you planted a tomato or red bell peppers, in which case you will find different animals in the leaves).
If you keep coming back to the place where you planted the seed and protecting it - keep reminding yourself what you asked of God and how amazing He is in His power and love;
if you stay patient in the time of growth - and not fall into doubt just because it's taking time;
if you take courage in how amazing God is in making things grow, and recognize that He is working in your life, through your faith, and know exactly when your dream has become a full grown tree,
... it will.
Because God is faithful. Because we need to trust first and then receive. Because this is the amazing life we've signed up for when we gave Jesus the throne over our lives.
- What EXACTLY have you already planted and you need to go back to check up on the progress and if the baby-plant is still there?
- What do you need to plant in the good soil and claim ownership and responsibility for believing in?
- Which dream needs to be replanted?
