THE MUSTARD SEED
When we were pressed to get a painting job in a hurry, one of my favorite painters, Jose, had a saying that made us laugh and eased the stress. He’d cock his head sideways, raise his eyebrows, and put on a quirky smile as he slowly drew the words out, “Dooon’ puuush me.” We all adopted the saying and loved it.
Sometimes we want to say that to the Lord. He challenges us to go a little further with Him, and we hesitate or resist. “I’m pretty comfortable right here. I pray regularly, read my Bible pretty often, tell others about Jesus, and minister healing occasionally. I’m actually pretty happy with my spiritual life the way it is. I’m not sure I want to change things right now.”
But the Lord lovingly lets us know: “You’re doing great with where you are now, but I’ve got something new for you if you’ll accept it.”
Once He’s got us, He wants us to have the whole package. He wants us to grow. “Then He [Jesus] said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree” (Luke 13:18-19). In Luke 17:21 Jesus tells us “the kingdom of God is within you.”
The seed of God’s kingdom is a living thing and it’s supposed to grow like the mustard seed into a large tree within us. There’s nothing in the Word of God that says once we’ve learned a certain amount of Bible, we have the right to just stop the tree from growing any more. Quite the opposite.
The Holy Spirit just keeps gently encouraging us to go further, learn more. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” That’s not a onetime thing. The Lord continues to pay us a visit if we will let Him come in and spend the time.
Second Corinthians 5:14 says, “The love of Christ constraineth us.” That means He just keeps coming, imploring us to experience more of His presence and the new things He wants to show us. We never have to be afraid. Jesus said, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20).
We can usually recognize when we’re being challenged to go further. We’ll start to get an idea on our heart and it comes up from different angles: in conversation, on the internet, in Bible teachings, etc. That’s often how God lets us know He is trying to get us to pay attention and take a closer look.
Think about it. What has the Lord been nudging you with lately?
Love, Carolyn
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