Tuesday, June 19, 2018
2 Corinthians 4:13-14 (NIV84) It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
EVEN A MUSTARD SEED FAITH CAN DO GREAT THINGS (1)
There's a fascinating story recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 17. Matthew tells how Jesus, (after walking down the mountain following His transfiguration) was met by a crowd. A man from the crowd came up to Jesus, knelt down before Him, and pleaded with Him to help his son who was suffering horribly at the hands of a demon who had taken over his son's body. The man also told Jesus how he had brought his son to His disciples to get cured but they had been unable to cast the demon out. Jesus responded: "O faithless and twisted generation, how long do I need to stay with you and put up with you? Bring the boy to Me." He then rebuked the demon and it came right out and the boy was healed. When the disciples later asked Jesus why they had been unable to cure the boy, He told them: "It's because of your feeble faith. I tell you that if you have faith as tiny as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will happen. Nothing shall be impossible for you."
Was Jesus exaggerating? Is there truly such a thing as mountain-moving faith that can accomplish super-powerful things? Truly, there is! All we need to do is turn to Hebrews 11 to see a list of remarkable things faith accomplished in the lives of believers like Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Gideon, many others.
Faith still accomplishes great things in the lives of God's children today. One example: It enables us to know beyond a doubt, and to speak with confidence to others, about how death will one day be changed to life In a world in which we see so much death, where people are killed in accidents, natural disasters like volcano eruptions and lava flows, of illnesses, or just plain dying of old age . . . we Christians possess in us the belief that the same heavenly Father who raised His Son from the dead on Easter morning will raise us up, too, to be with Him forever. The Holy Spirit has gifted us with the same faith with which He blessed believers of the past. And like them it is our desire to share this wonderful news with others that they, too, might have faith in the Lord and go to live with Him, just as we will. How remarkable is that!
Hallelujah! Let praises ring! Unto the Holy Ghost we sing
For our regeneration. The saving faith in us He wrought
And us unto the Bridegroom brought, Made us His chosen nation.
Glory! Glory! Joy eternal, Bliss supernal;
There is manna And an endless, glad hosanna.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 23:3)
