A Mustard Seed Faith

Sermon October 5 Luke 17:5-10

A Mustard Seed Faith

Reverend Fred Okello

On a Sunday morning, while we were getting ready for church, a woman came to our house crying.  She was desperate since her kids had been returned home because she couldn’t pay their school tuition.  We didn’t have any money to contribute, so we read the Bible with her and reminded her that God is our provision. When we talked about faith, she shook her head and stated, “I don’t even have enough faith for God to do something in my life.”

We told her that her life was a miracle and tried to cheer her up, but she was still focused on her need.  She came to service with us, and after that, she went back to the same thing: “My children’s school fees.”  Finally, I prayed with her and jokingly told her that God may be taking care of her need before she gets home.

This was my return day to the United States.  I hadn’t booked my domestic flight in advance because it was a busy time for travel.  I was still in my city by nightfall, rushing to catch a bus that left at 11 p.m.  I knew I would miss my international flight.  When I got to Nairobi, the gate was locked, and the next available seat cost $1,000, which I didn’t afford.  I sat there, angry and tired, and started to blame myself... and yes, I even blamed that lady for making me wait.

But in my frustration, I heard the Lord say, “You were doing my work. You did something good for a soul.” At that moment, my wife called.  That same woman had called her again, this time screaming tears of delight.  She met a man on her way home who paid for all of her kids’ school expenses.  God had fulfilled her prayers and was also teaching me something.

In Luke 17, the disciples yelled to Jesus, “Lord, give us more faith!”  They thought their faith wasn’t strong enough to handle the problems they were facing.  But Jesus reminds us—that faith isn’t strong because of how big it is, but because of who it is placed in.

Sometimes we feel like we can’t live up to Jesus’ teachings. The disciples had just heard Jesus talk about forgiveness, which meant forgiving someone seven times in one day.  They were so overwhelmed that they said, “Lord, increase our faith!”  They felt like many of us do: not good enough. Lord increase our paycheck, increase our budget and resources, increase our ministry, increase our numbers! Lord increase, increase, increase!

·       When trials get us down, we feel like we aren’t good enough.  We may know the Scriptures, but when we’re in suffering, it’s hard to believe what the Word says.

·       When doing what we’re told costs a lot, we feel like we’re not good enough.  It seems impossible for us to forgive, serve, or trust when it hurts.

·       When our failures keep coming back to us, we feel like we're not good enough.  We start to think, “If only I had more faith, money, wisdom, strength, health, I could make it.”

But Jesus doesn’t get mad at the disciples.  Instead, He tells them to focus on who their faith is in, not how much faith they have.

And Jesus replies, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can tell this mulberry tree to ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will do what you say.”

·       Faith is little yet alive.  It may seem small, like a mustard seed, yet it has life that flourishes when it is planted in God’s promises.

·       Faith is what ties us to God’s power.  God’s might moves the tree, not the size of the seed.

·       Faith is active obedience. Jesus illustrates with a servant doing his duty — not seeking praise but simply serving his master. Real faith shows itself in ordinary acts of trust and obedience.

That day in Nairobi, I realized how my shaky, mustard-seed faith was still a part of God’s work.  God reminded me, “You were on My business,” and I couldn’t help but meet the woman’s needs in ways I never could.  God was faithful even in weakness.

This morning, we are reminded that:

·       Don’t wait till your faith is strong; it is good complement to have strong faith but that’s not the point. The Lord is simply saying, act on the faith you currently have.

·       Don’t look down on the little steps of trust; God utilizes them to do what He wants.

·       Don’t judge your faith by how you feel; judge it by how faithful God is.

Let us pray:

Lord, we admit that we often feel like we can’t live up to Your instructions.  Like the disciples, we ask, “Give us more faith.”  But please remind us that even a tiny bit of trust can move mountains when it is in You.  Please help us to have faith in You during our troubles, do what You ask of us, and praise You every day.  Amen, in the name of Jesus.