Daily Devotional for Wednesday, September 13
A Grain of Mustard Seed
“It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: but when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it,” Mark 4:31, 32.
Sometimes we might hear the phrase that something “increased exponentially.” We all get that visual. It means something started small and increased in rapid and even amazing ways. An example I have heard is the one that says a penny doubled every day for thirty-one days would become over ten million dollars. Such is the power of multiplication.
The same principle is true in evangelism. One disciple becomes two, then four, then eight, then sixteen and so on. The problem is that it seems like this is not what is happening to the kingdom of God. The fact is, it seems sometimes to be shrinking rather than growing. In our devotional verses, Jesus tells us how this precept applies to the kingdom of God. He tells us that it will grow exponentially, from the smallest seed to the largest tree. Yet we do not see that. What is going on here? The problem is us. The problem is me and you.
Jesus did many miraculous things during His earthly ministry. He healed the sick, fed thousands with crumbs and even raised the dead. We have to ask why. Certainly, it was great for those who were healed, but what else? The miracles proved Jesus was divine and had both the power and authority to forgive sins. We have it as well by the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. Of course, we do not offer forgiveness ourselves, but we represent the One who does. Or, do we?
JUST A THOUGHT: We are fully commanded, and fully empowered to preach the gospel. Why do we do it so rarely?
Wally Fry