READING: 1 Samuel 3-7, Luke 17:1-19
According to Jesus, a little bit of faith can make a difference; in fact, He said to His disciples, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you” (Luke 17:6). The proverbial tiny nature of a mustard seed taught His disciples that it’s not the size of the faith involved that matters; it’s the magnificence and the power of God. Indeed, some scholars conclude that Jesus saw that kind of faith in His disciples—a faith that was real, albeit small—and He simply wanted them to put it to work. It was as if He were simply reminding them that they already had what they needed.
The disciples were worried about gaining more faith, but that’s not what they needed. They just needed to act on the faith they had, for their little faith was faith in a great big God. And, when they learned that He responds to that kind of faith, their confidence in Him and His grace would only be increased.
Maybe Jesus says the same things to us, too, when we put our faith in faith rather than in Him—when we talk more about what faith can accomplish than about what He can do. Faith matters, but only Jesus is Lord.
PRAYER: “Lord, thank You for teaching me to trust You.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Samuel 8-10, Luke 17:20-37
