185. Increase Our Faith

Luke 17:5-10

Key Verse: "So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty."

Luke 17:10

What an interesting response from Jesus to the disciples' request that He increase their faith. They thought that faith was something that could be handed to them. They did not understand that it is something that must be tended, like a seed, in order to grow.

Faith is not the reward of good works, but the by-product. If you have a small amount of faith, as small as a mustard seed, which is tiny, you can do amazing things. When that small amount of faith enables you to keep going, and serving, it will grow so that when you are done, you will understand that your obedience to Christ is merely your duty.

In James 1, we read: "Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4) Peter tells us, "Now, for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith, of greater worth than gold, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7) And Hebrews tells us "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

Faith is important. It's good that the disciples desired it, but the growing of faith is hard work. When I think about the poor servant in Jesus’ illustration, coming in from the field and then putting on dinner and serving it, I groan because it sounds as though the poor servant doesn't get a break.

Our call to obedience does have a payoff though. It is hard work to keep going, to keep fighting the fight, to stand up for the Lord, to not rest on our laurels but take up the next battle for what is right. It is hard work to endure suffering and hardship for His sake, yet, in reality that is our duty. After all, He suffered for us too out of His duty of love. Now here’s the payoff.  The byproduct of our obedience is faith, to trust Him again through another hardship and to know with more confidence, each time, that He is near and in control.

When you stay safe and hidden, your faith also remains small because it is never tested and you never learn how close He truly is. It is as you step out, with the little faith that you have that He will increase your faith to meet His next challenge for you. It is like a tree. The tree that grows in the forest is protected by the big trees, but it also doesn't receive as much sunlight and its roots are often blocked from going deep because of all the roots of bigger trees that surround it. So in the forest a new tree can’t grow large.  A tree that is on the outer edges of the forest is unprotected.  But if it survives it grows strong and tall because it can. Its roots can grow deep and it gets plenty of sun. The wind that blows makes it stronger. The trees that grow the biggest are on the edges of the forest.  That makes the whole forest bigger as the newest trees spread farther across the land.  In the same way, if we desire a strong faith, we just may have to step away from the crowd to give us room to grow.

Hymn: "My Faith Looks Up To Thee"