"Then He said to them, '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.'" Mark 4:30-32 NKJV
Jesus was saying that, the kingdom of God may be small at the start but, it will grow and will continue this way. It may be small at this time but it will have an outstanding growth, something that is still going on today. He likened it to a mustard seed. Now, this is very small and yet, once planted it will eventually grow into a very large treelike, shrub, perhaps between 10 - 12 feet high, with sturdy branches. On this, all types of birds will nest. This shows how sturdy the mustard tree would be because, some large birds have large nests and they are heavy.
Let's look at this from your standpoint. We all start off small. Whether it is a business, a marriage or a career, most of us have to start at the bottom until we have gained more experience. As a pastor in a church, starting off was quite difficult as there were only about twelve people in the congregation. It took a little time but, the church began to grow until eventually, we had a reasonable attendance of regular people. However, I would often get asked, 'Where are the people, pastor, the church is not very big,' My answer was always the same, 'That's right, but Jesus is here and that's all that matters.'
People tend to measure things by the size and not the quality. At that time, I would have sooner had twenty or so, spirit-filled, born again, going for it Christians than just pew fillers. Small can be good because it gives God the opportunity to be able to move and deal with things that need this. Zechariah 4:10 says, 'For who has despised the day of small things.' Your situation at this time may be small. It may be a business, a university or college space, a marriage or starting off in a new job. It may be small at this time. It may be hard work but, anything that is worth it, takes a little effort and time to develop. At this time for you, small is good.
You may run a home group with hardly anyone in it or you may attend a church that appears to have died. Don't give up, don't despise the day of small things. Acorns finally turn into great oak trees; flowers and vegetables are planted but can't be harvested straightaway. It takes time for growth, but it is worth it.
Jesus wants you to trust Him and walk with Him because, He thinks that you are so special.
Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard
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