More about the Mustard Seed
Words of Faith 11-27-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 4
[30] Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? [31] It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. [32] Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."
[33] With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. [34] He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

When you look at a mustard seed, it is hard to imagine that it will ever amount to much. We have brought them back from Israel many times. The mustard seed is just a little speck. On another occasion, Jesus used this tiny seed to talk about faith and illustrate how a little bit of faith, wholly planted in the Lord, can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). But this is different.
Here, Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is something we don't easily grasp at first. Our minds are so influenced by the world around us. The Kingdom of God is not about governments, monarchies, institutions, or grand organizations. The Kingdom is the rule and reign of God. This is a spiritual rule and reign that takes place in the hearts and lives of people.
The Kingdom of God is far more powerful than any body politic, far greater than any conceivable human realm or rule. The Kingdom does not come as the result of a massive coup-de-tat or even a victorious democratic election. The Kingdom grows. And it grows from the tiniest seed that is planted.
God plants a Kingdom seed in our hearts and it grows to become something that we never imagined possible. Then God uses us to plant a seed in another, and that seed grows into something startling and wonderful.
One of our "faith problems" is that we often do not have a Kingdom vision of what God can and will do. Too often we look at a lost person and assume they can never be changed. Or we look at a problem and think that it is insurmountable.
Even when we come to faith, we look at the little speck that God wants us to plant, perhaps just a smile or a cold glass of water, and we dismiss the possibility that God can do anything through such a small offering. Such tiny acts look ridiculous but the truth is that if we will be faithful in the smallest of obedient acts, God will do things we cannot begin to imagine.
What is God's plan to change people and establish his kingdom? It has to do with Kingdom agriculture. He grows the Kingdom from one tiny seed at a time. Happy seed planting. As he leads us, let God do something small today through you that will grow into something we could never have imagined.

Lord, show me the way of obedient, surrendered living. Reveal to me the seeds you would have me plant today. Give me the courage and the faith to trust you in small acts of ridiculous obedience. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.