Faith & Love: A One Year Bible Reading Plan - Part 8Sample

The image of the mustard seed suggests not only size but life and growth. The kind of faith that Jesus is looking for starts small but grows into maturity to bear fruit. Faith must be cultivated so that it grows and multiplies. Faith is not wishful thinking or “mind control." Faith is an active trust in Jesus that grows over time. And, more specifically, trusting in His promises. What we sometimes perceive to be true may stand in conflict with God’s promises. Faith grows when you replace your perception of what is true with the actual promises of God. To test if faith is growing, you need to ask yourself if fear in your life is shrinking.

Let’s use an example. Money. You might be living in fear that you won’t have enough to survive. This might lead to a scarcity mentality. You might start to gather as much as possible and keep it to yourself. But as you learn that God is a God of abundance and generosity and that He gives seed to the sower, you might start trusting in His promises. This faith starts small but grows as you see Him provide. And when that faith matures, its starts to bear the fruit of generosity.