How do you explain what the Christian life is all about? I’m continually learning that it is far more than following the rules, meeting my own expectations, or having the right set of beliefs. It is different than accumulating a brainiac view of the church or of the Bible. I’m learning to allow God into my life, grasping His love, and expecting Him to show up in the smallest ways. I’m too small and weak to handle complicated explanations, programs of platforms. There is little show and blow of fanfare in following Jesus. Small seeds planted in others lives bring a multiplying effect in the tears to come.
“One of the remarkable things about Christian faith is that God does not strong-arm or coerce anyone into belief. He whispers; He invites; He waits. Just as relationships in human life cannot thrive on forced affection, neither does God desire robotic allegiance. He seeks free hearts drawn by love, not mere compliance.“ - Scott Sauls
“Though Jesus’ ministry in Galilee doesn’t look like the sort of kingdom-of-God-movement people were expecting, it was in fact the seedtime for God’s long-promised and long-awaited harvest.
When Jesus asks, “What shall we say God’s kingdom is like? What picture shall we give of it?” his words echo Isaiah (see Isaiah 40:18 - “To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?”). The prophet asked a similar question about God himself: To what will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?
What aspect of God’s kingdom does the mustard seed parable emphasize (vv. 30-32)?” - Excerpt, Mark by N.T. Wright
“The kingdom is like a mustard seed, which, although proverbially small, grows into a shrub large enough for the birds to nest in. This parable contrasts the small beginning with the greatness of the result. Jesus’s ministry began small—at this stage, just twelve apostles who didn’t understand. Ultimately, what he began would exceed all expectations and be a place of refuge for all—in spite of the failure of the crowds to hear and the opposition from the religious leaders.” - Excerpt, Following Jesus: Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark by Steve Langford
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