By
Allen White
He told them another parable: “The kingdom
of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.
Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of
garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its
branches.”
He told them still another parable: “The
kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty
pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in
parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was
fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
“I
will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation
of the world.” Matthew 13:31-35
In these parables,
Jesus compared the kingdom of God to something small that increases
exponentially. A mustard seed is not the smallest seed on earth, but it would
have been the smallest one known to His audience. Yeast is also very small. It
doesn’t take much yeast to multiply dough.
Faith starts small,
but has enormous potential. Just like a tiny mustard seed becomes a plant large
enough to support birds or minute yeast rises and expands bread dough, the
Kingdom started with One, Jesus Christ, who invited twelve, who gathered 120 in
the upper room at Pentecost, who saw 3,000 saved in a day, who spread the
Gospel throughout the known world. But, there’s another Kingdom principle here.
The seed of faith
that once took root in each of our lives has enormous potential to transform
our lives and affect the world around us. While we have an enemy whose mission
is to kill, steal and destroy, we have a God who trumps him and intends
abundant living for us (John 10:10).
I’m sure you’ve had
the experience where you get an idea, get excited about it, then discouragement
immediately sets in. “You can’t do that. Who do you think you are? You’ll never
amount to anything.” Ever had thoughts like that? Those thoughts don’t come
from God. Guess the source?
When God plants a
dream in our hearts, the enemy’s goal is to kill that seed before it can even
take root. While the enemy can’t physically overpower us, he can certainly mess
with our heads enough to squelch the dream. Sometimes he even works through the
people around us to discourage.
Both mustard seeds
and yeast require the right conditions to grow. Seeds need the right light,
soil, minerals and moisture to thrive. Yeast requires the right temperature,
light and environment to expand. How is your situation encouraging your dream?
How is your environment holding you back?
God believes in
you. God has great plans for you. God has planted His seed in your heart. Are
you letting that seed of faith take over your life? Are you filling your mind
with encouraging thoughts or are you listening to the old tapes? Who are you
surrounding yourself with? Are they fueling your dream or extinguishing it?
As soon as you can
(or sooner), get alone with God and ask Him to clarify the dream. Read His
Word. Dream big dreams. Nurture that seed of faith, then watch it grow.
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