Small Steps
“Then He said, 'To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.'” Mark 4:30-32.
Sometimes we see the great gap between where we are and where the Bible says we ought to be and it can feel overwhelming. We think "how can I ever produce that kind of fruit in my life?" We want to throw out everything and start fresh. And yes, there are times where we just need make big efforts to throw out actions and mindsets that are rotten fruit but most times we shouldn't throw it out, we should take little actions to grow it out. The mustard seed parable shows us the way to start with some small action based on faith, start doing it, and then let it grow over time and repetition.
If, for example, we have an antagonist who troubles us to such a degree that we struggle to not despise them, then we can start with a little act of kindness, a little prayer for their progress toward righteousness, a little private praise that the Lord has created them for a purpose. Or we can take a little step toward a more disciplined life or victory over an unproductive habit and trust the Lord to help us grow in tue fruit of self-control. That little mustard seed of faith, once planted, can now grow into the largest plant in our garden. "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin..." Zechariah 4:10 NLT. May the Lord help us plant mustard seeds of faith in little acts of obedience today.
Sometimes we see the great gap between where we are and where the Bible says we ought to be and it can feel overwhelming. We think "how can I ever produce that kind of fruit in my life?" We want to throw out everything and start fresh. And yes, there are times where we just need make big efforts to throw out actions and mindsets that are rotten fruit but most times we shouldn't throw it out, we should take little actions to grow it out. The mustard seed parable shows us the way to start with some small action based on faith, start doing it, and then let it grow over time and repetition.
If, for example, we have an antagonist who troubles us to such a degree that we struggle to not despise them, then we can start with a little act of kindness, a little prayer for their progress toward righteousness, a little private praise that the Lord has created them for a purpose. Or we can take a little step toward a more disciplined life or victory over an unproductive habit and trust the Lord to help us grow in tue fruit of self-control. That little mustard seed of faith, once planted, can now grow into the largest plant in our garden. "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin..." Zechariah 4:10 NLT. May the Lord help us plant mustard seeds of faith in little acts of obedience today.