Our Little Faith
In Matthew 16:8-10, Jesus was aware of what the disciples were thinking and said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?”
Our faith is small. Thank God while our faith is small, Jesus lives within us to be the completion and fullness of our faith. The refining process Jesus did in the lives of the disciples helps strengthen our faith more than we can ever imagine. Sometimes we look on others and say “oh just have faith” or “you need more faith.” That is a bit demeaning or condescending to say to a fellow brother or sister. Who gave us the position to judge the amount of faith someone else has? It is always easier to tell another person to have more faith when we are looking through the window of our well air-conditioned lives on a hot summer day of what the world deals to believers in Jesus Christ. However, what state do we go into when we can’t pay our mortgage, car payments, light bill, or even afford to get some bread and water for our family? Do we tell ourselves to have more faith or are we frantic? Many of us open our mental Rolodex to see who can help us. No one can help us but God. We always seem to forget how much God when we are faced with a tough situation. Instead of telling our brothers and sisters to have more faith, why don’t we help strengthen their faith just as Jesus did for His disciples and does for us? We must come along side each other carrying each other’s burdens in the name of Christ. That is how God strengthens faith. It is not by us telling each other “to have more faith.” Faith is not sold at the supermarket; faith comes by hearing the Word of God and living life IN Jesus Christ our Lord.