Today's "thought" addresses the question: "How much faith is necessary?"
On two occasions I have heard preachers speak on Jesus' words that, "faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains." And in each case both of those preachers went on to speak of wanting to exercise a far greater quantity of faith than Jesus said is necessary. One of the preachers even said, "some people are content with a thimble full of faith, I want a swimming pool full of faith -- faith I can swim in!"
Yet, I believe both of them missed Jesus
point. For Jesus tells us that faith the size of a mustard seed is far
more than anyone will ever need! With that much, says Jesus, "Nothing
will be impossible for you." In other words, we don't need tons
of faith to see impossibilities become possible, we simply need that small
amount and we will see miracles happen. As R.T. France says in
his commentary on Jesus words: "It is not the 'amount' of faith which brings the impossible within
reach, but the power of God, which is available to even the 'smallest faith.'
"
That's what today's thought is about: "Little
Faith." It comes to us from a book entitled, "Day
by Day with the English Puritans" by Randall J.
Pederson. This particular entry was written by John
Rogers, a Puritan pastor from Essex, England, back in the 1620's.
I trust you will find it helpful and encouraging. Enjoy.
Little Faith
"If you have faith as a grain of mustard
seed, you shall say unto this mountain,
'Move from here to there,' and it will move.
Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20b
"Little faith is true faith, as well as
great faith. A little man is just as much a man as a large man; a little
water is just as truly water as the ocean seas. The disciples had true faith,
yet very weak faith, weak in knowledge. Though they believed that Jesus was the
Messiah come to save the world, yet they did not know how. They were
ignorant of His death, for when He told them of His coming sufferings, it is
said that they did not understand what He was saying (Luke 18:31-34). Peter
took Jesus aside and counseled Him not to go to Jerusalem to die (Matthew
16:22). They were ignorant also of His resurrection also, for when Mary told
them of it, they did not believe her (Luke 24:11). And of His ascension,
when He spoke of going away, they understood it not, neither did they know
where He was going, or the way to get there (John 14:1-31). Their knowledge
was very weak to be ignorant of such important things...
But weak faith may prove strong in time. The
most learned clerk was once in school studying his grammar book. The greatest
giant was once in swaddling clothes. The tallest oak was at one time a twig.
And faith grows from a grain of mustard seed to produce a tall tree.
As from a child to a man, so corn grows from a weak blade, to a stalk, to an
ear with ripe corn therein. The disciples who were so weak before, afterwards,
when the Holy Spirit was sent among them, were exceedingly strong and feared
not in the face of tyrants."
It
was not unusual for Puritan pastors to affirm the words of Jesus that even
little faith (faith as small as a mustard seed) was sufficient faith.
Thomas Watson, also a Puritan pastor, once said: "Though your
faith is weak, do not be discouraged -- a weak faith may receive a strong
Christ."
And Richard
Sibbes, yet another Puritan pastor, once said: "A spark of fire
is fire, as well as the whole element. Therefore we must look to grace in the
spark as well as in the flame. All do not have the same strong faith, though
they have the same precious faith (2 Pet. 1:1), whereby they lay hold of, and
put on, the perfect righteousness of Christ. A weak hand may receive a rich
jewel. A few grapes will show that the plant is a vine, and not a
thorn. It is one thing to be deficient in grace, and another thing
to lack grace altogether.”
So,
we are, as Peter says, to, "make every effort to add to our faith
goodness; and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control...."
(II Peter 1:5-9). We are called to exercise and
add to our faith. Yet, we must also remember that a mustard seed sized degree
of faith is more than sufficient to "move mountains" and
make "nothing impossible for (us)." No
one needs a swimming pool sized degree of faith! Who needs more than a
faith that is able to do all things?!
In
fact, if Jesus rebuked the disciples for not being able to cast out evil
spirits, "because they had so little faith," and
then went on to say "faith the size of a mustard seed" was
enough to do anything that needed to be done, one must question how much the
disciples could have had? Maybe the tiniest speck of a mustard seed that
had been ground to powder? I suppose it really doesn't matter.
Little faith in the infinite God is enough! The aim, after all, is not to focus
on our faith, but the immutable, great, loving, and all-powerful object of
our faith. For faith grows as we look away from it, and seek to grow in
the grace and knowledge of Jesus. The greater we understand Him to be,
the greater our faith will become -- and that without even needing to
focus on faith.
Living in the Grace of Jesus, Pastor Jeff
