PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Luke 17:3-6
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed…” (Luke 17:6)
Jesus talks about forgiving a loved one that keeps on hurting you.
The disciples don’t have the will or strength to do this.
In their view, it takes bigger or more faith to forgive like this.
But according to Jesus, faith does not need to be bigger or more.
My sense of this is that it does not depend on us to do right or good.
Faith is placed in something or someone else, in this case Jesus.
Jesus knows that if we take a tiny step, he will step in too.
He provides what is missing in our faith, he provides strength and help.
When God expects the impossible of us, God will help us if we try.
No doubt we will falter, no doubt our first attempts will be weak.
But every time we move our tiny faith muscles, the Spirit strengthens them.
With divine help, we will begin to see the impossible become possible.
Our part is not super faith, but just enough to take that first step.
Jesus will take us where we could never have gone ourselves!
PRAYER
Lord, the life you call me to is bigger than me, but not bigger than you. Help my to trust you, not myself, as I take those little steps.
“Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them. The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”. Forgiving others many times over takes patience – it is easy to say, I’ve had enough of this – I’m not going to forgive yet again. I think the disciples struggled with that as well and prayed that the Lord would increase their faith. It takes trust in God that He will work things out for good – let the HS work in the lives of others as you forgive them yet again. Let it be an example of grace – help us Lord to have the faith – the trust that you will work things for the good!
Forgiveness.
That’s tough.
And yet Christ tells us to forgive – repeatedly. Always.
I am able to forgive again and again only by His power. He enables me to forgive. I need to be like Christ unto others. Jesus forgave me and I need to do the same. And by His power, His leading, His presence in my life, and the presence of His Spirit, He anables me to forgive others.
Thank You Lord.
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s light;
look unto me; your morn shall rise
and all your day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in him my star, my sun;
and in that light of life I’ll walk
till traveling days are don