Jesus said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Mathew 17:20)
As a child I remember the excitement of discovering that flowers had seeds that could be planted. Four O’clock and Morning Glory were two of the first flower seeds I remember gathering in my tiny four-year-old hands and carrying home to plant in the spot where Mom said we could grow flowers. Then came the frustrating excitement of waiting for that breathless morning when the first flower burst forth! Seeds are amazing!
Faith is also amazing. Recently I have been contemplating the different ways Scripture refers to faith.
- A Spiritual Gift (I Corinthians 12:9 – a gift given by the Spirit to be exercised for the Kingdom)
- A Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22 – something that grows in our life as a result of walking in the Spirit)
- The Shield of a Christian’s Armor – (Ephesians 6:16 – something that must be exercised)
- A Right Response to God – (Ephesians 2:8 – something that brings us into right relationship with God)
- Substance and Evidence of Things Unseen As Of Yet ( Hebrews 11:1 – something that sees the invisible and results in active obedience to God)
Without faith it is impossible to please God(Hebrews 11:6), Christ is the Author and Finisher of our Faith (Hebrews 12:2), and if our faith is alive it will result in good works (James 2:17) .
There is much more that could be said about seeds of faith, but for the moment this will suffice. May we make good use of the seeds of faith that God has planted in us, and may our faith increase until one day Christ will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”