Mark: 4:30-32 The parable of the mustard seed.
Read Mark 4:30-32
The kingdom of God, is like!
Jesus in his wisdom gave all these explanations of what the kingdom of God was like, and he did it in parables by painting pictures with words. Now the people he was talking to knew what a mustard seed was and they knew that within a few weeks of planting one of these tiny seeds, it would grow into a shrubby plant 3-4 metres high and birds could come and sit in it.
It had grown from something insignificant into something substantial. Our lives can be like that – changing from insignificant, unworthy, growing into something awesome, of great worth.
I think this is what Jesus was pointing out, the kingdom of God, this message of God’s grace and his love for us. That this often starts as being something of little interest or consequence to us but once we receive, once we encounter God’s grace, once we encounter his love, understanding that he forgives our sins and that we can be made new in him, asking for that forgiveness and Jesus to be Lord of our life, that once this happens our citizenship of his kingdom is guaranteed and with his Holy Spirit at work in us. Life change then occurs as we seek after more of God and as his Holy Spirit works with us as our helper, comforter, encourager and friend.
Today we have welcomed seven new soldiers and four adherents, people who are on a faith journey. Today is a place of witness to what they believe and that they have reached a place where they want to acknowledge a point in their journey with God.
God has a love for us that is huge, so huge that it required the greatest of sacrifices, wanting to save and not condemn us. Because he wants a right relationship with us, taking us to a place we haven’t been before in our journey with him, taking us to abundant life.
God accepts us as we are, but he won’t leave us there – he wants us to grow in our relationship with him, grow both in our relationship others and within ourselves. Building on the mustard seed of faith that we started with until we are obvious as believers, until others see the witness that is our lives and like the birds in the branches are attracted by something that God has done in us so much so that they to will seek after that thing in their own lives, that seed that brings new life. We are called to take a grip on that opportunity for change and to live out our faith, to act as God requires – encouraged, living a right relationship with him and others. We are called to live our faith, growing in our relationship with God (SBI)
As believers, we are part of a community that is the body of Christ here on earth, the church but we also have responsibility to ourselves for our own journey with God. I’m going to just use a snippet of the word that the Apostle James gave to people on the same journey about two thousand years ago.
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” (James 3:13) and this “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17). We are called to live our faith, growing in our relationship with God (SBI)
As believers we are seeking and continuing to seek, seeking after God’s will for our lives, remaining in fellowship with other Christians, praying continually and aligning our lives the word of God, witnessing our faith both through word and action, showing the fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control and through the spiritual gifts that he gives us to help in building his kingdom here on earth as we listen to his still small voice and responding to it. We are called to live our faith, growing in our relationship with God (SBI)
Have you encountered God?
Has your journey with him started?
What difference are you allowing him to make in your life?
How is that journey, are you moving forward or standing still contemplating your next move, are you growing, are you visibly a citizen of his kingdom?
As small as a mustard seed is where it starts, the growth continues as we respond, seeking always his will for our lives happens as we respond to God.
How are you responding, how are you growing?
