Growing Your FaithSample

If & Then 

The more conscious I am of the work God has yet to do in me, the less critical I am about what He has yet to do in you. — Andy Stanley

We spent the last three days discussing verses that have a cause-effect type of relationship. For us to see results in our lives, there is something we must do first. On this final day, we will take two passages where Jesus spoke in a similar manner.

Matthew 17:20

Jesus said, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” 

Clearly, Jesus said nothing is impossible for us, so we can claim that truth. But, if all we do is say “nothing is impossible,” we have missed the first part that talks about needing faith. And the best part is that we don’t need an ocean-sized faith—we just need the faith of a mustard seed. A mustard seed is about 1-2 millimeters in size. That’s a really small amount of faith. God is not asking us to have perfect faith, just some faith! He will most assuredly cover the rest. 

John 8:31-32

Jesus said, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

We all want freedom in our lives. In fact, there isn’t much else that feels better than the feeling of it. But, how do we expect to find freedom if we don’t hold true to what Jesus taught us? Everyone is trying to find their own version of truth, but we must stand firm on the Word of God. It is the source of truth for the Christ follower.

In order to grow in our faith, there are things we need to do. The Christian walk is a training ground where we strive to become like Jesus. We won’t ever be perfect, which means we will be on this journey until we leave this earth. We’ll always get more chances to grow in our faith. 

And before we know it, we’ll be able to look back on a lifetime of progress and be encouraged that God really will finish the work He has started in us. 

Reflect

Meditate on the verses above. Do you find yourself struggling? Look at the prerequisites of faith and truth and ask God to show you where you need to grow.

As you continue to read the Bible, look for passages that have an “if—then” or “when—then” pattern. Ask God to show you where you are looking for a result before putting in any effort.