Scripture Scribbles: October 2, 2022

the Gospel

Luke 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." 

The Lord replied,

"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,

you would say to this mulberry tree,

'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your servant

who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,

'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? 

Would he not rather say to him,

'Prepare something for me to eat.

Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.

You may eat and drink when I am finished'? 

Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? 

So should it be with you.

When you have done all you have been commanded,

say, 'We are unprofitable servants;

we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

the devotion

Faith the size of a mustard seed…I’ve seen a mustard seed, it’s tiny!

I have actually given my daughter a charm with a mustard seed in it. It has a similar Bible quote on the back of the charm.  I like the reminder that it represents, that it's not the size of the Faith that we have but maybe what God can do with even our smallest grains of Faith? I realize that a Mulberry Tree can not be uprooted and planted in the sea, at the same time I do believe God can perform miracles. We read about them, in the Bible, and in stories people share.  There's even a show that I've tuned into before called “The Miracle Hunter, where Michael O’Neal delves into some of the world's greatest mysteries and marvels of the Catholic Church.” So yes, I think if God wanted to uproot a Mulberry Tree and plant it into the sea, He absolutely could, no problem. 

Where does that leave me with my mustard seed of Faith?  I guess it leads me to answer the question, what do I have Faith in, and where do I put my Faith?

Do I put my faith in good soil?  Soil that has been steeped in God's Word, in the gospels, in the Good News? So it can grow? How do I water it? By Trusting God in all circumstances? Even when it seems dark and lonely here in the soil….waiting to bloom.  Am I patient and looking for ways I can move forward in faith and trust? Do I see myself as a servant of God?  Living my life in a way that may look different? Or do I look like everyone else, listening to voices that are not very loving and are even maybe harmful? Are they encouraging and life-giving, or cruel and shaming?

God has gifted us with this life, at this time in history for a very specific reason.  He has a plan for me, he has a plan for you…..”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…” Jeremiah 1:5. Was his plan that I would be sitting with my Bible open diving into His Word and trying to unpack it in a way that myself and others can hear how He is speaking to us through the prophets today?

I am not worthy, I’m not worthy of this life, these blessings, but boy am I grateful!! Grateful for my life, grateful for my husband, our children, our family, our Faith, our mustard seeds. Grateful for this ministry, grateful for the friendships within it. Grateful for the opportunities to come. Grateful God is leading it. So very grateful that my eyes were opened when they were, He didn’t wait too long, that maybe our children will take their mustard seeds of Faith and let them grow, Grow in Trust, bloom, help to grow the Kingdom of Heaven. I believe this is possible.

We can look to the words in the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as WE FORGIVE THOSE….” this friends, is probably one of the hardest things to do.  To Forgive others, to “Love others as I have loved you.” Easier said than done, right? But that's how we will look different. That's how we will live in freedom, Freedom of resentment and love of God, we can only live this way with God's help, it is impossible on our own. We all know what it looks like to pray for things WE desire, what about praying for what God desires to do with us?  Imagine how different our lives would look if we all thought of ourselves as servants of God trying to outdo each other with the amount of love we are pouring into one another? We all know resentment will eat us alive, forgiveness frees us. 

So even if your Faith is only the size of a mustard seed, if that Faith is all in God, who knows what mountains or Mulberry Trees He will move with it?

Today’s devotion was written by Beth Brennan