Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Faith As Small As A Mustard Seed

One day the apostles said to the Lord, “We need more faith; tell us how to get it.” -- Luke 17:5

Have you ever had one of those days? Of course you have. Everybody does. The world seems to be crashing down around you, pulling you in a zillion different directions, and you really don’t know which way to go or what to do. It’s called life.

I know things will all work out and everything will be okay. I know that. Then why do I sometimes panic? Why do I worry? Why do I doubt? God has promised to be with me and care for me. It really will turn out just fine.

Except when it doesn’t. That’s the nagging seed that eats away at me. I know that horrible things can happen with no warning. I know that you can do everything right and still end up lost and alone. And I know how easily dreams shatter and life changes.

I realize God is with me. He never leaves me alone to fend for myself. That gives me comfort. And while I certainly know He is all-powerful and in control, I also realize that He gave humans free will. That’s scary. Because just as I make mistakes every day, so does everyone else. And sometimes those mistakes have devastating consequences.

I probably worry for nothing. Why borrow trouble, as the old cliché goes? Just take one day as it comes and deal with it. Then face tomorrow when the alarm clock shatters the early morning silence.

Faith doesn’t have to be big to be real. It can be as small as a mustard seed.

“Even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed,” the Lord answered, “you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May God uproot you and throw you into the sea,’ and it would obey you!” -- Luke 17:6

So I cling to that just as I once clung to a gold necklace that carried a mustard seed in a small enclosure. It had a little metal piece attached that said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, nothing shall be impossible unto you.” I wore it every day for many, many years until one day it broke and the mustard seed fell out. Sort of like my faith on days when I can’t see the hope I know is really there.

But I cling to those words and the promise of Jesus. I know that I will have strength for this day. And tomorrow, well, tomorrow will bring whatever it will bring. And I will have strength for it as well. And if I don’t? Well, God will carry me until I do.

That is the faith that I have. Small as a mustard seed or mighty as a lion. I stand on a rock that will not fail and I cling to the One who will never, ever fail me.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Give God Your Best

“Even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed,” the Lord answered, “you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May God uproot you and throw you in the sea,’ and it would obey you!”

-- Luke 17:6 (NLT)

Facing the Giants is one of my all-time favorite movies for many, many reasons. But there is one scene that truly touches my heart every time I watch the DVD.

The former soccer player turned back-up football kicker is faced with a terrifying situation. The starting kicker is injured and the coach calls on him to kick the winning field goal. The state championship is on the line.

The player doesn’t believe he can do it. He’s given up before he even tries. The coach asks the player if he believes God could make that kick. Yes. Of course. God can do anything. The coach goes on to explain that God expects us to give our best and let Him take care of the rest.

You probably already know how the movie ends. The player kicks the winning field goal and his team wins, giving God the glory -- as they should.

Monday night Alabama’s field goal kicker stood poised to prove himself. He’d been criticized earlier in the season for missed field goals. He stood ready to attempt a career-long field goal in the national championship game. I kept playing the scene from the movie over and over in my mind, willing this young man to believe. He made the field goal -- and several others.

How many times do you or I give up before we even try? We have a dream but we decide it’ll never work, it isn’t possible, it’s too far beyond us. We forget the power behind us. We forget that nothing is impossible with God. (Mark 9:23)

So ask God what He wants you to do. Present your dreams and plans to Him and ask for His approval and His blessing. Then, if God approves, give it everything you’ve got. Don’t hold back. Give God your best and expect Him to do the rest.

Victory comes first through belief. What do you believe God can do? What do you believe you can accomplish when you do your best and God is doing all the rest? Then give God everything you’ve got, knowing that He can do anything and you can do everything with Him by your side.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Thank God

"One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him -- and he was a Samaritan." -- Luke 17:15-16

How many times a day do you ask God to do something for you? Maybe you ask Him to protect you on a trip. Maybe you ask Him for help with a co-worker or a child. Maybe you need a little extra money or healing for someone you know. Maybe you're just frustrated and need a parking space ... right now! We all ask God for things big and small, day after day. But how often do we thank Him?

In this story, Jesus healed 10 lepers but only one came back and thanked Him. And that person was a Samaritan, a foreigner that the Jews looked down on. But he was the one who recognized the gift Jesus had given him. Do you see the gifts God gives you? Do you thank God when He does protect you, when He does provide healing, when He walks with you through difficult situations? Thank about it -- and thank Him right now.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Give Thanks To God

"One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God imn a loud voice."

-- Luke 17:15

I love the story of the 10 lepers. I think it clearly illustrates how most of us are in life -- so focused on ourselves that we fail to thank God for all the blessings he bestows on us.

For those unfamiliar with the story, 10 lepers cried out to Jesus for healing. They were outcasts because of their disease and required to stay away from others. Jesus did have pity on them. He told them to go and show themselves to the priest. That was required before a leper could rejoin others. What fascinates me is that they immediately left to go to the priest -- before they were healed. The Bible tells us "And as they went, they were cleansed." Amazing!

I want to have that kind of faith, to know without doubt that God will always do exactly what He says. I want to believe that way. But I also want to thank God for all He does for me. Because the sad part of this story is that only one of the 10 returned to thank Jesus. That person was a Samaritan, a foreigner, a member of a race despised by the Jews.

God does so many wonderful things for me each day. The other day a deer stopped just short of the new  car I was driving. I was thankful for what didn't happen because, honestly, I didn't have anything to do with it. God did it all. I'm thankful for the food I eat, for the opportunity to work, for my health. I am thankful for the rain, for my family and friends, for this great country we live in. It's so easy to focus on the negative but we have so many things to thank God for.

God is gracious and kind. He loves us and does good for us and to us because of that love. But just as we like to hear others thank us for our good deeds, God would like to hear praise and thanks from us. Not because we have to but because we want to. Because we love Him and we know our lives are in His hands.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Thank God For Everything

"He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him -- and he was a Samaritan." -- Luke 17:16

We live in the land of plenty. Most of us have more than enough food. We have a place to live, access to medical care, even cars to drive. We assume these things, as though we have some special right to them.

If there has been one good thing that came from the economic downturn, maybe it is that our core assumptions have been shaken. We know we are not guaranteed a job with a decent salary. We are not guaranteed a slice of the American dream. Indeed, we are not guaranteed anything.

In this passage, 10 lepers called out to Jesus for help. He cleansed them. But only one man -- a foreigner the Bible tells us -- returned to thank Jesus. The other nine appeared too focused on the gift to stop and thank the giver.

Isn't that often the case with all of us? We assume food. Oh, if we're proper Christians, we "give thanks" before we eat it. But do we truly mean it or are we simply going through the motions? Do we understand that all we have is a gift from God and not something we have done for ourselves?

Contrary to popular belief, hard-working people sometimes go hungry. Though we don't want to see it, smart and talented people lose their jobs. Strong people get sick. Good people make mistakes. What we have is not ever a guarantee.

We should take time each day to thank God for each gift he gives us. We should humbly remember that all we have, all we are, comes from Him.