Why the Mustard Seed? October's WOW From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Luke 17:6

⁶ So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power…

Oh, it’s great to have you to explore the promises and instructions found in the No. 1 Best Seller in the World, the Bible! Thanks so much for joining me today for our October’s WOW (Words of Wisdom & Weapons of Warfare). Grab your coffee and come on in!
Oh, how many times have we reminded ourselves we only need a little faith; after all, Jesus said all that’s required is faith the size of a mustard seed, and we’ve heard many scholars and theologians analogize that to a grain of pepper so we convince ourselves, that’s all the faith I need for this mountain in my life. Have you ever tried to convince yourself, “Surely I have at least that much faith, right”?
What if I were to suggest to you that Jesus had something else in mind as well when He spoke those words, something that will surely help us to not discount the importance of faith? See, Faith to the follower of Christ is like Google to the computer, so follow me for a little farming lesson where I have a huge diamond to show you!
Did you know that a mustard seed cannot be cross-pollinated (in other words, mixed with another seed to become something else)? You don’t have to worry about protecting the mustard seed from cross-pollination by “bagging,” “distance,” “timing,” or other farming techniques. (I’m so not a farmer so I’m sure there are more terms!) See, a tomato is affected by anything planted near it, and so are some of the pepper seeds, but a mustard seed is not.
You may be wondering, what in the world does this have to do with faith? Let me tell you, it’s super exciting and I love how Jesus teaches!
When Jesus was speaking to His disciples about forgiveness and faith in Luke 17:6, He says: If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted on the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
Now understanding the mustard seed, can you see that He wasn’t just referring to the size?
Unfortunately there are translations that add the word “small” to this context, but I believe with all my being, especially considering His sovereignty and his omnipotence, that He knew that the “New Age” would spring up and people would begin to mix a little of this faith with a little of that faith.
I believe with all my being that Jesus used the reference of the mustard seed to reference purity! He does not want us mixing and dabbling into other faiths that don’t line up with the Gospel of Christ. There is only one way, one door to heaven, and though that door is much bigger than a mustard seed, it requires a purity of faith!
Let’s look at this verse again and put our stuff in it: If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree [difficult circumstance, this financial issue, for example] – go ahead and fill one in: _______________________________,
“‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted on the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
Now, we all know that a plant needs dirt to root, right? And in this reference He’s actually using His sense of humor to say pure faith can move mountains, grow things on water, and pure faith ushers in miracles.
So while faith the size of the mustard seed is ever so small, it produces significant spiritual growth! See, faith the size of a mustard seed will have us clinging to the tree/foundation (Christ) with no striving. Have you ever stared at a tree filled with countless branches? Do they seem to be panicking and struggling to hang on to the trunk? Do they look as if they are wiggling to hang on? Of course not! They just are. That’s what faith the size of a mustard seed can do for us in any given situation.
As I researched the mustard seed, I came across a site called Thumbprint Eternity by Keith Peterson and he, in addition to addressing the purity of faith, addressed the three concepts of faith that wrap up this truth of purity quite succinctly:

1. Faith is only as good as its object – [so ask yourself, who/what is your faith in]
2. Faith must be connected to its God-given purpose –and I just love this example he gave which I’ll paraphrase: If you take funds that were designated for one purpose and use them for something else, that’s a misappropriation of funds. When we make ourselves the object of our faith, we misappropriate our faith, causing it to be impure!
3. Faith must have pureness in quality: This faith is laser focused on the founder/author of our faith, Jesus Christ; there is no such thing as a mixed portfolio of faith!

Thanks for hanging with me a bit longer today! I pray that the truths found in His Word that we use as our Words of Wisdom and Weapons of Warfare will guide you toward a purity of faith.
Join us tomorrow for our Thursday’s Thinking Out Loud series where Diane Huntsman will be joining us with A Cry of My heart!
Working on the purity of my faith,

Evinda