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The Day of Small Things from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo. As with many of my messages, this was a word for me, but I will share it with you as I found it encouraging. I have been building a new social media website for Refreshing Hope behind the scenes for months. It is a massive undertak... -
Now after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place where he was about to come. Then he said to them, "The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send ou...
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Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth dea...
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- led by Lynn BrownThis is a group for RHM sponsored events like corporate fasts. Everyone is welcome to join and participate in things currently going on in the ministry. We love you and thank you for being a part of Refreshing Hope!
A Mustard Seed of Peace
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Printable Version - Share on Facebook - Posted by Sunnie McPhetres - Filed in Christian - 2,090 views
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32 NIV)
A mustard plant is actually an annual. It begins new each year with a very tiny seed and grows to be quite tall and wide with the right growing conditions. Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom of God can grow like that within each of us, in the right growing conditions. Being willing to put on the yoke of Christ and learn from him, being open to the cultivation of the Lord, remaining focused on our own faith journey and refraining from judging others, being joyful in the Lord and all that we have received, knowing that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice in order to purchase our citizenship in the Kingdom, and reaching out to others through our actions and our prayers – all of these things enable the Kingdom of God to grow within as fast as a mustard plant grows. And just like the mustard plant, it starts with a very tiny seed. God plants that seed within each of us, in some cases the growing conditions are just right and the Kingdom of God grows and flourishes so that we are much bigger on the inside.
"And when that plant has grown, the birds can come and perch in its branches." Birds, particularly doves, pigeons, love birds and sometimes humming birds, are seen as a symbol of peace. Many birds can find shelter in the mustard plant because it is so big. Likewise, peace can find dwelling within each of us as we allow the Kingdom to grow and flourish within. Unlike the mustard plant, the Kingdom of God is not an annual, once it begins to grow it continues to grow and grow, larger and larger, day after day, year after year and lifetime after lifetime. The birds of peace that find shelter in the Kingdom within each of us are free to fly off, carrying seeds of peace to plant elsewhere. Through cultivating our own peace and then sharing that with others, the Kingdom of God grows. But it starts with one tiny seed waiting for the right conditions. It starts in the heart.
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