Have a Little Faith

As you begin the new year, have a little faith! Luke 17:5-6 says, "And the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our 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.'" In verse 5, the apostles asked Jesus to "increase our faith." It seems the apostles not only wanted enough faith for their souls to go to heaven, but they wanted heaven to be brought down to them! Jesus told them that even the smallest amount of faith does great things. He then compared their faith to a mustard seed.

The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. It is used to develop mustard spice. The thought here is that it is so small it is within your reach. Compare that to the Mulberry tree. It is actually the Black Mulberry tree that is in view here. This tree often lives 400 to 600 years. It grows thirty-five feet tall, and has an extensive root system that spreads out forty feet and goes quite deep into the ground, making it nigh impossible to uproot. He told them that even with that little bit of faith they could uproot a mulberry tree and plant it in the sea.

That is quite a statement! Faith, even when developed only to the size of a mustard seed, is enough! That is what Jesus said! "Faith" (v. 6), in the Greek, is a word that can be translated either "faith" or "faithfulness." It depends on the context. When referring to "head knowledge" becoming "heart knowledge," or in other words, "belief," it is usually translated "faith." When the context refers to "heart attitude" or "heart obedience," it is usually translated "faithfulness." Here the context is "heart obedience" and should be understood as "faithfulness."

Note the context: Verses 1-4 speak of forgiveness as an attitude of the heart. Note especially verses 3-4: "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

Verses 7-10 again speak of "heart obedience" toward God. When you have done all that you are supposed to do, have the attitude as found in verse 10: "We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty" (RSV).

When you have this "heart obedience" toward God, then you will find that you have drawn near to Him. When you are near to God, He will guide you as to what you should do and how you should pray. Follow His guidance, and even that big mulberry tree can be uprooted! In other words, if you have left everything behind and have received Christ, and you are ready to follow Him and trust Him in all things, great things will happen.

What Jesus is saying here is this: "If God has led you to pray for something, expect it to happen!" If He leads you to pray for rain, bring your umbrellas to the prayer meeting! If you have faith as a mustard seed, God will make it happen! Expect great things from Him!

Remember, faith, or faithfulness, begins with leaving our old life and all we have behind for the sake of giving Christ control of our lives. Faith further involves our receiving Christ as Savior, and then following Him as Lord in our actions. The result of such actions of faith, is truly one of uprooting mulberry trees. It is one of seeing God do great things. Amen.