October #jammed: Free Grace.

Day 280: Straightforward and fair.

Because you have so little faith. Matthew 17:20

My kids hardly ever take my word for anything. 

Are you sure? 

I can hear their minds calculating what they know against what I am saying.

How do I know she’s not pulling my leg?

They visibly consider their opinions superior to mine, and it’s infuriating!

“Trust me, I’m right …” I’ll retort to my my own argument, “I know more than you do.”

We all know that is not always true, and will be fleetingly less obvious as the years go by, but I lack another way to vent my frustration. I need another card to trump their debate.

Today’s verse speaks of little faith, but it’s on a much grander scale than my daughters eating every world out of my humanly prone to be incorrect mouth. Matthew is speaking of having little faith, in Christ.

Little faith get’s us in big trouble. There’s simply no other way to navigate this world but by the tracings of God’s hand and the steps of His Son. We can throw up questions …give a sideways glance of doubt …but we can be sure that God isn’t bamboozling us. He’s truth, honesty, and just fairness. He is always good. Always love. That’s who He is. And His plan is good for us! So, how frustrating our littleness of faith must be to Him.

The world “little” in the original Greek text of the New Testament is oligopistos, meaning “of little faith, trusting too little.”(Strongs)

It isn’t just in believing that we lack, but in trusting. That’s belief on another level. It’s much easier to nod our heads in agreement and raise our hands in worship than it is to dig through the trenches in pursuit of Jesus on a daily basis.

Not so much the quantity of their faith as its quality—a faith that is bathed in prayer -NIV Notes

That’s how we increase our faith and trust in God. Prayer is the way to grow our faith and follow Christ. He died on the cross to open up the channel of prayer from our lips to God’s ears. The minute we believe in Jesus as our Savior, the Spirit dwells in us …doing just that. Translating, relaying messages, nudging, guiding, whispering …strengthening our faith.

He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Mark 9:29

Mark referred to the demon Jesus extracted from a boy when His disciples were unable to. Some things can only be accomplished, established, and strengthened through prayer. Have faith.

Father, Praise You for faith. Thank You for everyone Jesus lived on this earth and died on the cross to give us. Forgive every wasted opportunity to pray and read Your Word. Stretch the minutes of our days and nudge our hearts in reminder to seek you in prayer and in Your Living Word, for it is there that our faith will grow and our steps will follow in stride with Christ’s. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace! 

#greatgrace17

Happy Growing,

Megs

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