"Increase Our Faith"

 "And the apostles said to the Lord, 

"Increase our faith." 

 (Luke 17:5 NKJV)

 

    The request made the apostles is one that we, too, should be unafraid of making. While some may say, "Nope, I'm good; I got all I need," the Christian should have a constant inclination toward more faith - "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)

 

    Jesus' response to the apostles request, at first glance, may seem condescending - 'if you had even a little bit, you'd be able to do great things!' - but we know that Jesus was not condescending and His response does show how to increase faith.

 

"So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, 

you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots 

and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."" 

(Luke 5:6 NKJV) 

    A mustard seed held in the hand appears small, inactive, and feeble but inside, it is full of life and ability to develop "greater than the herbs and [become] a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches" (see Matthew 13:31-32).

 

    The mustard seed, once planted, is known for its tenacity, persistence, and determination! It can grow and develop in the harshest of conditions. It is hearty and its determination to sprout will, in many ways, "move mountains" (Matthew 17:20). It will crack the great rocks that it is growing up through; it has even been known to lift and crack concrete that has been set over it in its determined pursuit of development! 

 

    Within the mustard seed is a powerful resolve to keep on keeping on!! How does it do this? By drawing from the riches that surround it: sunlight, water, nourishing soil - God's plentiful provision!

    Jesus does not want us to be satisfied with a faith equal in size to a mustard seed. A small, feeble faith will accomplish little. It keeps us from openly declaring our faith and therefore never sharing our faith, and when trials come it will sink and we with it (consider Matthew 14:22-33).

    Jesus wants us to have a faith that is living and active - like the planted mustard seed! He wants us to have a faith that continually draws from the riches that surround us - God's bountiful blessings - and use these provisions to grow stronger and develop toward bearing fruit, something that will become visible in us even to the the unbeliever! An active and tenacious faith will not only be able to uproot great evils by God's awesome power but also by the same Source it can accomplish great and long-standing good!

 

    We may appear small in the grand scheme of things but within each one of us is the potential to grow and develop a faith that will help us overcome the world (1 John 5:4-5)! 

 

    Let your faith be like the determined mustard seed! Take root in the gospel of Christ and drink nourishment from the bottomless wells of God's love and provision! Seek the SON, lift your face toward Him!! 

 

 You can do it! So can I!!