#6 in FAITH & HOPE: Living in the Balance of Wisdom and Revelation
“when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.””
When Jesus taught about faith, He emphasized the importance of experiencing God's Kingdom. He often used the illustration of the mustard seed to illustrate the connection between faith and God's Kingdom, ultimately conveying the message that faith leads to the manifestation of God's Kingdom in our lives. In other words, faith enables us to see and experience the presence of God's Kingdom in the present moment.
When we walk by faith, we can live a life filled with the hope and peace that comes from experiencing the reality of God's Kingdom every day.
How do we walk by faith? Know God's Word in an area of life, understand what Jesus did for you in that area, and believe fully until it comes to pass, leaving no room for doubt.
When It Is Sown
We must sow the Word in our hearts so the seed of the Kingdom of God within us will become fruitful. The Kingdom is in there, and it's trying to grow. Faith clears out the thorns, rocks, and other impediments keeping the Kingdom from increasing.
The more Jesus teaches about faith, the more we see he's talking about experiencing his Kingdom. It will manifest when we rest in Christ's finished work and actively believe to experience God's Kingdom here and now.
In this passage, Jesus gives us the secret of how to walk by faith and experience Kingdom fruit by sowing the Word in our hearts.
Mark 4:26 And He said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should [f]scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." 30 Then He said, "To what shall we liken the Kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade." 33 And with many such parables He spoke the Word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
To walk by faith and not by sight is to live with an expectation of experiencing His Kingdom in everyday life. As we nurture His Kingdom within us, by faith, it will become fruitful and bear fruit.
What Kingdom expectations do you have? What would you say is limiting the Kingdom from growing in your life? Fear, worry, your past, lack, loss, concern for money? Deal with those things, get your thinking in alignment with God's promises in Christ, and expect to live in His Kingdom now.
