Lent Day 32

A mustard seed is a super tiny seed that grows into a giant tree. A superficial reading of this verse makes it sound like anyone who believes in Jesus, even a tiny bit, can do immeasurably powerful things according to their minuscule faith. Is that true? That depends on what faith actually is. If faith in Christ is simple belief, then yes. But faith is not mere belief. “Even the demons believe and shudder” (REF). The demons most certainly believe in Jesus, but they obviously don’t have access to the infinite power of God. The demons serve as a good illustration here. They lack true faith, although they have belief. They lack loyalty to Christ, even though they know his sovereign power.

What this verse is actually teaching is that the person with even a small amount of loyalty to Christ, if they have indeed pledged allegiance to Christ, has access to the immeasurable power of God. Although, reflect on what loyalty and allegiance entails: one allegiant to Christ pursues only what pleases Christ according to God’s will and purpose. Therefore, the one allegiant to Christ (faith) can do anything that God commands him to do in Christ. A virtue of faith, then, is reflected in our pursuit of Christ’s purposes and our confidence that we can do literally anything, no matter how preponderance it seems, if indeed Christ has called us to it.
 
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, show us your will and purpose so that we might walk in it. Give us confidence according to our faith–even when we are weak and our faith is small–to boldly pursue your will and purpose in this world. Use us for great things, even that we might move mountains, according to your will and purpose. Amen.