LITTLE FAITH

Little Faith

We so often think of Jesus as always being patient with us and never being frustrated. That is not always true. There were indeed times when Jesus got frustrated, one of those instances being the passage in Matthew 21:12-13, where Jesus “overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those selling doves (vs.12b).” Here he was frustrated with what was going on in the temple. The temple was not to be a market place, but instead it was to be a “house of prayer (vs.13).” Even in His frustration, He did not sin. In Matthew 17:14-21, Jesus gets frustrated yet again. This time it was because of something that His disciples and the people lacked. This passage tells the story of when Jesus healed a boy with a demon. The boy’s father had already been to the disciples to see if they could heal his son without any success. He then went to the ultimate Healer with his request. Jesus expressed His frustration more with His disciples than the boy’s father when He said “O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you (vs.17)?” After healing the boy, Jesus explained to the disciples what His true frustration was. It was their lack of faith. The timing of this miracle and Jesus’ response is very interesting to me. In the beginning of Matthew 17, we find the transfiguration of Jesus. The disciples had just seen Jesus transfigured. They saw Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. They heard God’s voice proclaim “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased (vs. 5).” You would think after having experienced all of this that the disciples would have had more faith. Why am I amazed at their lack of faith? Aren’t we often in the same place in our walk with Christ?
As I sit here this morning, I am thinking about how much I want to see First Baptist Church grow. I want to see God do an incredible work here. I want the worship ministry of FBC Canton to be the best it can be so that God will be glorified. I want my children to grow up to be Godly men and women. I want my relationship with my wife to be one focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. But so many times when I think about these things, I wonder how in the world these things will be possible. I get in the same frame of mind as the disciples who asked, “Why couldn’t we… (Matt. 17:19)?” I start thinking about what I am able to do and not how much Christ is able to do. When we take our mind off what we are able to do and put our faith in what Christ can do through us, we start to believe what we cannot physically see. It is not as much the quantity of our faith but instead it is the quality of our faith. A person who prayerfully puts their faith in Jesus can say to the mountain of great difficulties facing them “Move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you (Matt. 17:21).” The strength of our faith lies in the strength of Jesus. Knowing this truth, let us lay aside our lack of faith, take up our shield of faith and follow Jesus.

Seeking to put my Faith daily in Christ,
Aaron Hodges