Tuesday Thought -- June 28, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

"Then Jesus asked, 'What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.' Again he asked, 'What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.'" (Luke 13:18-21)

What is the characteristic of a mustard seed? It starts small and then grows into a large plant, like a tree. God's kingdom is like that. Consider how the kingdom of God started. It started with a handful of men and women and during Jesus' life it did not grow large. The biggest group that saw Jesus resurrected was only 500 people. After His ascension, there were only 120 gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem. That's not a large group, the kingdom started small. Not only did it start small in number, but it started small in its geographical location. The area in which Jesus lived and preached is a small area, not much bigger than the Willamette Valley of Oregon -- 90 miles or so north to south and 40 miles or so east to west. And it is an obscure area, tucked into a small corner of the world. The kingdom didn't start in Rome or Egypt or some other powerful and visible place, it started in a corner. Yet, today, the kingdom spreads all across the world. There is no place in the world that has not been touched with the Gospel. And the kingdom numbers into hundreds of millions. What started small has grown huge. What started tucked into a corner has spread around the world.

The kingdom of God is like yeast. Yeast makes up a very small part of the ingredients that are mixed together to make bread. Yet, a small amount of yeast affects the whole batch of dough and causes it to change. So, too, does the kingdom. It started a small amount, but it has impacted the whole world.

There are times when people think the church is so small and weak compared to the powerful forces of the secular world. Those people don't understand!

The church is everywhere and its influence is huge. It started very small, but now the world can't even contain it!

His, by Grace,

Steve