Microscopic Faith

We put our faith in a lot of different things everyday. Think about that for a moment . . . . . . Think about all the people or things that we put our faith in. We have faith in our doctors that they actually know what they are talking about and can effectively treat our illnesses. We have faith that the medicine we take will do what it is supposed to do. We have faith that when we get on an airplane that it will function properly and that the pilot knows how to fly it. We have faith that when we walk into a building that it is structurally sound and will not fall in on us. We have faith that when we drive over a bridge that it will support the weight of our cars. These are just a few examples of what we put our faith in everyday. Why is it then that have so much trouble putting our faith in the God of the universe who created us? It seems with everything that is going on in the world that Christians are retreating. It seems as though we see all the obstacles in our way as insurmountable. We seem to forget that Jesus lived here for 33 years; not here in America, but here on planet earth. He lived in an environment with an oppressive government, a divided religious system, and a segregated class system (rich/poor). He faced the same problems that we face today. The religious leaders at that time knew so much about God that they could not recognize the fact that they we looking right at Him. God knows us. He created us. In Matthew 17, the disciples try to heal a demon possessed boy, but fail. The father brings the boy to Jesus and He heals him. The disciples ask Jesus why they could not heal the boy. He responds in Matthew 17:20, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." The great things that were accomplished by the first church in Jerusalem and the great things that Paul and many others accomplished for the Kingdom can still happen today. The mustard seed is only about 1/16 of an inch in diameter. It is tiny and yet with that small amount of faith, we can accomplish great things for God. The problem is that most in the church have microscopic faith. We (I include myself) have faith that cannot be seen unless it is looked at through a high powered microscope. It is no wonder that we live defeated lives and make very little impact in our world. We lean on our own abilities and look at things through our perspective instead of God's perspective. It is difficult to take steps of faith, but it is so fulfilling when we see how God uses us when we do. It reminds me of the lyrics to the song "Better Is One Day" - "Better is one day in your house, better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere." We have free will to serve Him or not. How do we advance God's kingdom? How do we make an impact in our communities and neighborhoods? We take a deep breath and trust God. We have mustard seed-sized faith and we move mountains for God. It doesn't start with the guy at another church or the lady sitting on the pew next to us. It starts with us, individually. Our attitude needs to be that spreading the gospel is not someone else's responsibility. It is mine and it is yours. It takes a little faith to accomplish a great work.

"One day, you're going to have to make a choice. You'll have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be. Whoever that man is good character or bad, is going to change the world." - Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent speaking to a young Clark Kent (Superman) in the Man of Steel.