Mustard Seed

Matthew 13:31-32    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.”

We hear a lot about having faith as small as a mustard seed but I think we miss what is beyond that small seed.  We get a bit comfortable with that small faith.  A seed doesn't stay a seed forever!  You plant the seed and it either grows or dies!!!  It all depends on how it is cared for. The mustard seed is the smallest but when it grows it becomes a tree large enough to be a shelter!!!  That is amazing to me!  That is what WE are to do...become so strong in Christ that we are shelter!  We are not small and meek, clinging onto the smallest of faith.  We allow Daddy God to GROW us up big and strong in all that He is!  ALL that He created us to be!!! 

What is seed?  The "seed" is the Word of God!  It is planted in us when we read it and it is rooted in us when we KNOW it and BELIEVE it!  Once we receive this seed we are given opportunities to then plant into the lives of others!  The seed of The Father is eternal!!!!! 

When I welcomed God, Jesus AND The Holy Spirit to dwell within me, a great life started growing!  I was filled with HOPE!  I say to the Kingdom of God, come invade me like the mustard seed!  Grow tall within me, so that my life, my faith, through Your grace might be enough to become a shelter for the birds of the air!  I do not fear the invasion of the Kingdom- I pray for it (like the mustard seed) to GROW within me!!!!

It is suggested that Jesus could have chosen a genuine tree for the parable, and that the mustard plant demonstrated that, though the dominion appeared small, it would inexorably grow into something large and firmly rooted and become shelter for those who need it!!! 

Thank You Holy Spirit for revealing this TRUTH to me!  I strive to GROW in my FAITH, to BE SHELTER!  While it is only required to have faith as small as a mustard seed, may we all THIRST  for MORE and find that we can quench that thirst with THE LIVING WATER!!! 

Walking on Water

We all know the story of Peter walking on the water.  How he took his eyes (and his mind) off of Jesus and started to sink.  I think we kind of gloss over this very important event.  There was a lot going on there in and around those men and their boat!  First of all, they had just had the stress of feeding well over 5,000 people!!!  Look, I feed 10 a day in my house and that can be quiet stressful at times, I do not know how I would hold up to feeding 5,000!!!  And THEN after feeding all those people they got caught in a STORM at sea!  My faith would have been a bit faint by this point!  Then Jesus appeared and called to them.  I'm not at all surprised that at first they thought it was a ghost!  After the day they had just had,  it would not seem that far fetched!  Jesus instantly spoke to them and said, "Take Courage! I AM, stop being afraid!"  Peter still was not convinced.  He said to Jesus, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You in the water."   It's very important to notice here that Jesus DIDN'T say, No Peter, walking on water is only for Messiahs!!  That is not what He said.  He said COME!

Now all was going well until Peter remembered the storm that was going on.  He shifted his focus off of Jesus on onto the storm and he began to sink.  As he sank he cried out to Jesus, "SAVE ME!"  Jesus didn't wait around for Peter to frail around in the stormy water until he learned his lesson!  Jesus INSTANTLY held out His hand and caught Peter and saved him!  He did, however, note Peter's lack of faith was the reason he got into trouble in the first place.  When we call out to Jesus, He INSTANTLY holds out His Hand to us!  Our faith in HIM will determine the outcome!  We can cry out to Jesus all day long, but if we do not BELIEVE He will do what He has promised us, we have determined the outcome for ourselves.

Fear is what prevents us from walking on the water!  I know for me, I have to purge fear from life on a daily basis.  I have to remind myself that I am rooted in God's Love.  God's Love has NO FEAR!  I replace fear with TRUST.  I replace lies (from the enemy) with promises of my Savior! 

God The Father is calling me to step out of my boat and come to Him.  To come to where He is.  The only way that I can do that is to keep my focus on Him and not on the storm going on around me.  The storm is anything that tries to distract me from what God is calling me to do.  Anything  that The Lord calls us to do is important (no matter how big or small it seems by the worlds standards). 
He will take this natural ability that I have and cause supernatural change in the world around me! 

What is Jesus calling you to do?  Forget the storm and STEP OUT onto the water and step into your purpose!!!  It's time for us to be "water walking people"!!!!!


BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING!