Verse of the Day 12/16

Through the Bible - Obadiah - Jonah 3, Revelation 9

 

Good morning,

Yesterday's devotional about Elijah and the widow of Zarephath reminded me of the parable of the mustard seed which I had read recently.

For today's verses we'll go to Matthew 13 for this short but powerful parable.

 

Matt 13:31 Here is another illustration Jesus used: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches."  NLT

 

I'm not saying that the faith of Elijah or the widow in offering the water and the last bit of bread were small acts, but in comparison to what he accomplished in their lives and still accomplishes through their testimony, they started out small.

 

You can look at it from a couple of perspectives.  With Elijah, God was building his faith day.  Day by day Elijah's faith grew and if you continue to read in 2 Kings you'll see what God accomplished through him in defeating the prophets of Baal.

 

The widow in 2 Kings also reminded me of the widow in Luke 21.  They both gave what could have been enough for their last meal.  We don't know anything about these people after these events but God's kingdom continues to grow through their testimony.

 

The same can be with us.  The small steps of faith in our lives can lead to greater things in our lives or the testimony of simple acts done in our lives can impact others which may impact future generations.

 

Acts of faith done here, simple gifts or money for food given here can impact people across the world for Christ, for generations.

 

John MacArthur writes, "A further lesson from this parable is the God's kingdom will grow to become a blessing to the rest of the world.  The tree that develops from the mustard seed symbolizes the kingdom, which in this age is Christ's true church.  The metaphor of birds nesting suggests the positive idea of providing protection and safety for others."

 Are you challenged or prompted to use and show a small act, a mustard seed of faith today?  Follow through, you'll never know what might be accomplished for His kingdom if you do.

 

The "Feed the Hunger" organization can provide a meal to a starving child for about 17 cents a day.  Think of the impact that giving 17 cents a day to support a child may do for their lives.  It starts with a mustard seed of faith to give.

 

Blessings,
Mike

mikevw@bellsouth.net
mikesvotd.blogspot.com

 

Luke 21:1-5

21 Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, "The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford — she gave her all!"   THE MESSAGE