Luke 17:5-10 (NRSV)
Read Luke 17:5-10 on biblegateway.com
Verse 5The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" Verse 6The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. Verse 7"Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'? Verse 8Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'? Verse 9Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? Verse 10So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'"
Devotion
Jesus invites all those whom he has called to follow him along a very hard and difficult path. The kind of faith to which he calls his own is not to be measured by size; it is to be measured in terms of its quality. Faith that is unshakable, though small, will surely move mountains.
Jesus calls all those whom he has saved to put their trust in him. He challenges them not to have big faith, but - even though it is as small as a mustard seed - to have a faith that will do great things. So the real issue is not the size of one’s faith but the source of it. Where do you place your faith? Is it in someone big – or is it in God?
Prayer
My faith is weak and small, but it is resting only in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Dear Lord, help me to remain focused and steadfast in the work for which you have called me. Amen.