Increase Our Faith

-

 


Scripture: Luke 17:3-6 (ESV)

3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Devotion:

            Today’s scripture is a real challenge to us in the 21st century church in America. In our culture we typically do not depend on our faith. We are a people of action, of do it yourself. It is hard for us to lean on our faith and depend on that to carry out our goals. Faith seems to us to be an old-fashioned idea. In our minds we know that we are to have faith, but in our actions, we often look to “just do it” rather than have faith in God to do things his way.

            The original apostles had a similar problem. In this chapter of Luke, the apostles are given many instructions such as the ones we find in verses 3 and 4. Things that they did not think they had enough faith to carry out on their own. Jesus reminds them that they do have enough faith to do great works. After all, don’t they have even the smallest amount of faith. Like the mustard seed of the proverbs. All they need to do is exercise the faith that they do have, and they can truly do miraculous things. What they do need is an awareness of their own potential for faith.

            How can we as modern believers access the power of our faith so that we may do the works Christ commands us to do? Our main hope of releasing the power of faith within us is to seek the Holy Spirit’s filling. As the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13 faith without love profits you nothing. So, in addition to being filled with the Holy Spirit we must also urgently ask that we be filled with love. We must be filled with the true agape love that can only come from God in order to that our faith may bear good fruit.

            We all have a tiny spark of faith within us. We must rely on God to strengthen and mature our faith so that it can help the kingdom. We must be careful that we always exercise our faith whenever we can. For those of us who are “do it yourselfers” we need to learn to rest in God’s love and trust in His timing. Let us pray that God might increase our faith.

Prayer:

            Lord God Almighty hear our prayer today. We are weak Christians because we do not have your Holy Spirit’s power filling us with His power. Fill us with your Spirit. Release the faith you have given us that we may do your will in the world. Help us to grow in love so that our faith may increase its impact on the world. In the blessed name of Jesus, we ask this. Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapt...
Read more

The Hatred of the World

-
Scripture: John 15:18-20 (ESV) 18  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20  Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. Devotion:             This scripture is compelling. It explains what happened to Jesus and His disciples some 2,000 years ago. The message of God is rarely welcome news for the world. It calls out many of the culture's favorite practices for what they are: sin. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, humankind has been adamant about trying to hide or excuse their sin. Sin causes a barrier between humans and God that humanity cannot overcom...
Read more

Reflecting on Reformation Day

-
  On October 31st, millions of Christians around the world celebrate Reformation Day, a commemoration of a pivotal moment in church history. It marks the day in 1517 when Martin Luther, a German monk and scholar, nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. This act, challenging the practices and doctrines of the Catholic Church, ignited what we now know as the Protestant Reformation. The Courage to Stand for Truth Reformation Day calls us to reflect on the courage it takes to stand for truth. Martin Luther faced immense opposition and risked his life to speak against the corruption and abuses he saw within the church. His conviction was rooted in a deep understanding of scripture and a sincere desire to return to the teachings of Christ. As we remember Luther's bravery, let us examine our own lives. Are we willing to stand firm in our beliefs, even when it is difficult? Do we seek truth in God's word and let it guide our actions? Script...
Read more