Kingdom of God 1

Mark 4:30-32

When I was a child we had a pine tree at the back corner of our house. It was a big tree, one you could see for quite a distance. At that time I believe it was one of the tallest trees on our block.

The tree was the first Christmas tree my parents had when they bought the house I grew up in. My dad said after Christmas he tossed it out in the back yard to wait until the weather warmed up so he could plant it. Eventually he did plant it, after it had weathered a fierce winter. He didn’t expect it to survive, but it did and grew to be a tremendous tree.

This can be like our faith. It is something we are given by God, something important to us, something we may hold onto for comfort and strength. Over time our faith may have to endure the trials of life, the strains of worry and fear. But if we can plant it in our hearts and nurture it, our faith can grow to be something mighty and strong.

Often people will make reference to the Kingdom of God, and it is frequently interpreted to mean “heaven.” But Jesus makes a comment about the Kingdom of God. What does he compare it to? How does the smallest seed grow? What is the result?

This observation from Jesus is clearly not a comment on heaven. It seems rather to be a comment on our faith. Our faith may seem small at the outset. It can be a fragile thing, something we fear we might easily lose. We may have those times when we think our faith cannot survive.

But if our faith is nurtured and allowed to grow it can be like the mustard plant. Our faith can grow to be so big that it is a place of refuge and comfort.

In Luke 17:21 Jesus says, “the kingdom of God is within you.” The Kingdom of God is the living out of God’s love in the here and now. It is not just the glorious reward of God’s grace and mercy – heaven – but the comfort and strength of our faith in God that grows within us and becomes powerful. Our faith can grow to be strong enough to help us endure the assaults and temptations of the world.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can your faith grow?