6 Lessons from Mustard Seed Faith

Grow Your Mustard Seed Faith

Are you trying to grow faith the size of a mustard seed? Whether you’re a gardener or not, you’ve probably planted seeds at some point in your life.

It’s fascinating to see the first tender sprouts poke through the soil and reach for the sun. The daily growth is magical to watch until, at last, the fruit is ready to be harvested or the flower blooms in brilliant color.

So, what can gardening teach us about the power of faith and growing Mustard Seed Faith for our great God? 

Photo credit: fill on Pixabay

Having Mustard Seed Faith

Jesus’ parable of the faith of a mustard seed uses one of the most extreme examples of growth – the grain of a mustard seed. It’s the smallest seed that becomes the largest of garden plants – a mustard tree.

Without proper care and attention, the seedling of small faith will fade away. But with proper care and enough faith, the reward is a hearty amount of faith, like a huge tree that sustains life and becomes a beautiful paradise for wildlife.

So too is the growth of our faith.

It starts as a tiny idea, a concept we are taught as children, or maybe even in adulthood. It’s an abstract theory. Nothing we can touch or feel or smell.

How do we nurture faith of a mustard seed? Are we able to impact its growth?

The seed needs care and attention. It needs water. It needs sunlight. It needs to be weeded and fed.

So how do we nurture our tiny seed of faith into a beautiful, life-sustaining plant that leads us to the Kingdom of God? The 6 steps of growth, shown below, will help you grow your Mustard Seed Faith.

Parable of the Mustard Seed Reflection

1. Caring is a choice.

We choose what friends will get a piece of our free time. We choose whether we try hard at our job. We choose all the priorities in our lives.

Our walk with God is also a choice. It’s a decision we make as to whether we care enough to make the effort it takes to get to know Jesus Christ and nurture a relationship with Him.

The choice is ours. No one can force or convince us if we don’t care enough to take the first step, to put that seed in the soil.

How much do you care to get to know God?

2. Commitment

A relationship can’t grow without commitment – without dedicated time and effort.

How do we give God our attention, especially when our faith is still a seedling that hasn’t reached the light of day yet?

Make a choice to walk with God.

That means treating Him as a friend, a mentor, a coach, a parent. Talk to Him often. Ask Him to help you. Thank Him. See His majesty in everyday life – in sunrises and sunsets, in daily miracles of birth and the stunning wonders in our oceans.

See the beauty that surrounds us and thank Him for it. Giving God your daily mindfulness will help you get to know Him and your seedling will start reaching up to the sun.

3. Water

Water sustains life, but how do you water your faith? There are two ways.

Listen.

Listen to God. He normally speaks very quietly and sometimes just gives a gentle nudge.

Sometimes He sends messages through the actions of people, sometimes He will speak directly to your heart with no words.

It can be hard to discern God’s Word and His personal messages, but one thing is certain. You have to listen closely. Pay attention and He will make Himself known to you.

Study and Learn.

Read the Word of God – the Bible. Go to Bible study.

Read books by notable Christians. Learn about Christianity and its history.

People think that having faith is only about ‘hope’ but there is a logical foundation for Christianity that’s based on near-fact (since it cannot be proven conclusively by scientists).

My favorite books are those in which non-Christians set out to disprove Christianity and end up concluding that there is no other possibility than Christianity. Even though I have much faith, I find comforting satisfaction in these stories.

You can use our Mustard Seed Devotional or Mustard Seed Printable Folded Pocket Booklet as tools for your journey, too. For the best value, check out our Mustard Seed Adult BUNDLE that includes these plus more. (Mustard Seed Game and Mustard Seed Youth BUNDLE include more great products for kids.)

4. Sunshine

Oh, the beautiful warmth of sunlight! How do we add sunshine to our journey of faith?

Sunlight represents the positive influences we choose. The like-minded Christians that we either know personally, or get to know in our Bible study, or meet in Church. Even social media can help us mingle within Christian groups.

Hold tight to the positive influences you find. Their sunlight will strengthen your stem and deepen your roots.

5. Weed

Don’t let your sprouting plant get choked out by weeds! Weeds are darkness, such as doubt and the negative influences in our lives.

When you feel your lack of faith, seek out more sunshine. Find a mentor, a trusted friend, or your pastor who can help you when you’re struggling.

Weed out the negative influences, whether they are doubters who criticize you or fellow Christians who aren’t walking the talk of Christian life.

Weeds can be anywhere. Ask God to help you discern whether you are faced with a weed or not. The beautiful part of weeding is that one little tug will destroy the weed and you’ll have nothing stopping your faith from growing again.

6. Feed

How do you feed your plant to sustain its growth?

Pray.

Prayer is a heaping scoop of Miracle-Gro!

Make praying a habit. Pray wholeheartedly and throughout the day. Call upon the Holy Spirit to instill true faith in you.

Plan at least one dedicated time each day for quiet reflection and a prayerful conversation with God.

But even as you’re rushing through your hectic day, you can also find many opportunities to spend time with God for an impromptu ‘Thank you’ for the countless blessings you will discover in your life. You can whisper short prayers for those who need them, such as for your sick co-worker or people struggling in a natural disaster.

Maybe you’ll find the easiest place to pray is in church. Maybe it’s when you’re lying quietly in bed. Make time for prayer, and be sure it includes thanksgiving for the great things you do have. Perhaps our ACTS Prayer Model Printables will help give your prayer life the breadth and structure it’s missing.

Prayer will bring your heart closer to God. The more you know Christ Jesus, the stronger your faith will become. Consider our Printable Mustard Seed Scripture Wall Art to keep the Bible verses at your fingertips. (PS, these prints are included in the Mustard Seed Adult BUNDLE for almost the same price!)

Parables of Jesus Devotional Book – Coming Soon!

Keep Your Mustard Seed Faith Growing

Nurture your Mustard Seed faith and the reward will be great faith, as Jesus promised.

Before you know it, the littleness of your faith will have flourished into a big beautiful mustard plant, giving you a glimpse of the majesty and beauty that awaits us for all eternity through the power of God.

But don’t forget that every plant needs continual nourishment or it will eventually fade away. Keep your Mustard Seed Faith strong with regular care and it will continue to grow even bigger and stronger than you could have imagined.

I pray this Parable of the Mustard Seed Reflection helped to bring a fresh perspective to this powerful parable. May it help you nurture the kind of faith that will grow your tiniest seeds into the very thing we’re promised in Jesus’ words – eternity with our Heavenly Father in God’s Kingdom.

Quick video overview of Mustard Seed Reflection

Check out the Mustard Seed Faith Printable Pocket Guides, Devotional, or Wall Prints below…

Matthew 13:31-32 Mustard Seed Parable New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³² 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.”

More Parables!

Do you love the parables as much as I do? You may enjoy reading life lessons on these others (listed below), these activities for adults and children, or this list of Parables and Meanings. More parable lessons are underway. See them all HERE!

Do you love journaling? Does writing down your personal reflections help you process your thoughts more fully? Perhaps these Christian writing journals will be helpful as you reflect on the life lessons of the parables.

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• The Parable of the Talents Meaning and 5 Life Lessons
• 3 Parable of the Lost Sheep Lessons Show Jesus’ Love
• Which soil are you like? The Parable of the Sower explained
• 4 Moral Lessons from The Parable of the Ten Virgins
• 3 Life Lessons from the Parable of the Rich Fool
• 3 Lessons from the Parable of the Vineyard Workers
• Parable of the Lost Coin Spiritual Lessons
• The Parable of Two Sons – 3 Spiritual Life Lessons
• The Parable of the Weeds – 4 Sobering Life Lessons
• The Parable of the Persistent Widow
• Lessons from the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector
• The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price Lessons
• The Parable of the Great Banquet Lessons
• Parable of the Shrewd Manager Life Lessons For Today
• Parable of the Yeast Life Lessons for Today
• Parable of the Unforgiving Servant Life Lessons
• Parable of the Wedding Feast Life Lessons
• Parable of the Net Life Lessons
• The Parable of the Growing Seed
• The Parable of the Tenants Life Lessons
• Parables of the Fig Tree Life Lessons
• Lazarus and the Rich Man Parable Life Lessons
• Parable of the Good Shepherd Bible Lessons
• Parable of the Wineskins Spiritual Lessons
• Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders Lessons
• Parable of the Faithful Servant Life Lessons
• Parable of the Lamp Life Lessons
• Parable of the Two Debtors Life Lessons
• Parable of the Householder Life Lessons
• Parable of the Friend at Midnight Life Lessons
• Parable of the Master and Servant Life Lessons
• Parable of the Watchful Servants Life Lessons
• Take the Lowest Seat Parable Life Lessons
• The Parable of the Prodigal Son Life Lessons
• 5 Parable of the Good Samaritan Lessons
• The Cost of Being a Disciple Life Lessons