Basic Faith: Five-Day Devotional by Sean CurranExemplo

DAY ONE: BASIC FAITH

Faith touches everything. It is the thread that stitches together life and God. It is the whisper that dares us to take the step. It is the wind that fans the embers of our souls. It is the fuel of belief. As followers of Jesus, we are not meant to live without it, but time and time again, that is exactly what we try to do. I know this to be true even in my own life. It is a joy for me to say that I’ve been walking with the Lord now for longer than I haven't been. Much longer, in fact. You could say we have some history together. And, it is certainly true that over all this time, my life of faith has deepened in wisdom and spirit. But, I have also noticed that there are a great many things that I have over complicated and in doing so, have ripped them out of God’s hands; thinking they are better off on my own. As we grow older, if we are not careful, we tend to grow out of some things we shouldn’t. Things like trust. And what is trust if not… faith?

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.” Matthew 13:31-32

Jesus talked about faith all the time. But, like almost everything, Jesus sees faith differently than we tend to see it. On two occasions He likens faith to a mustard seed. Isn’t it curious that He doesn’t compare it to something more dazzling and spectacular? Or possibly something more persuasive or immediate. Nope, in the eyes of God, real faith is slow, steady, and stable. It grows deeper and wider before it grows taller. It is transforming day by day. A step at a time. You can’t force a tree to grow. You have to let it. Are there things your hands are clasping a little too tightly? I know I have some. Maybe it’s time to hand them back to God. Real faith is the journey of a lifetime. We can trust Him, even if it’s just one step at a time. As it turns out, that’s His specialty. Don’t over complicate it. God does the growing. We do the trusting. This is Basic Faith.

“I’m getting back to the basics. Don’t need a clever way to say it. No more fancy ways of praying. A simple yes. An honest amen. Yes and amen.”