Matthew 13:31,32
‘He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE SKY come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.”’
This passage has a simple meaning, but it eluded me for years. It’s just that God starts things small and humble. Quite the opposite of what we think or what Hollywood produces. It reminds me Naaman and Elisha in the Old Testament. Naaman had lepersy and went to Elisha to be cured. He was considered to be a great man and had grand notions on how the healing would happen. Elisha didn’t even go to the door, but sent his servant with the message to dip himself in the Jordan seven times. Naaman was furious because how Elisha handled this and turned to go home ignoring the advise. He gets corrected by some of his team in 2 Kings 5:13, ‘Then his servants approached and spoke to him, saying, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”’ Don’t be offended with the basic and simple.
I Kings 19:12,13 has an example of God speaking in small ways. ‘And after the earthquake, a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire, a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”’ God can speak through the fire and the earthquake, but He often works through the small. A further comment about this example is that the small draws us out while the dramatic and large is intimidating. God wants to draw us out. He speaks through the whisper.
We see this as Jesus came to earth through a humble family while traveling. They found a place where the animals lived and was born there. He was raised in Nazareth, a place of poor reputation. I can think of plenty of similar places. I fear for the people raised in those environments, yet God wants to identify with the least.
As we grow in Christ we adopt His ways. We don’t want the grand and flashy. We want to be popular and respected. We aren’t to promote ourselves. We are to love God and others. It’s not about us, but God and others.
We also don’t want to be falsely humble. This is making it about us. “Look how humble I am”.
There is a proper amount that we need. God wants us to be honored. Psalm 23 says, “Thou prepareth a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” We are to do right and trust that God will fill our needs.
We all have different gifts. Some are more public than others. I Corinthians 12:18-24 says, has Paul describing each of our gifts and how we fit together, ‘But now God has arranged the parts, each one of them in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one part, where would the body be? But now there are many parts, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again, the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the parts of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor, and our less presentable parts become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable parts have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked’. What a great description on how God made all of us. We haven’t seen our internal organs. However they are important. The lowly members of the body of Christ are still important even though none of us may know them.
Lord, thank You for being who You are. So good. Thank You for making us like You. Thank You for caring for our needs. We want to be liked and fit in. You help us there. We might not be abundant and full, but we are enough. Thank You, God.