Day 23
Today’s passage
Matthew 13: 31-33
Experience
Have you ever seen a mustard seed? It’s incredibly small, yet after it’s planted, it can grow to a height of ten feet or more. One of the largest of all garden plants, it provides rest for birds seeking sanctuary.
That’s what happens when we allow the kingdom of God, which is His rule in our lives, to grow in us. God’s rule within us will expand and provide rest and comfort for others.
If you allow God’s kingdom to spread and grow in your life, what can you expect? For starters, you’d fall more in love with God. You’d begin to see things about Him you’ve never seen before, and your worship will become deeper and more sincere. As those things happen, you’ll also find it difficult to keep your reactions from spilling over into others’ lives.
And that’s what Jesus meant when He described the kingdom of God as yeast. A very small amount of yeast is all you need to cause bread dough to grow and expand and make a well-rounded loaf. As the yeast permeates the dough, it has a tremendous influence—a chemical reaction that causes the dough to rise and puff into a loaf ready for baking. It’s incredible just how little yeast is needed to make this happen.
The kingdom of God expands through us into the lives of others, just as yeast expands in bread. It continues to reach and exert a powerful influence on all it comes in contact with. You’re bound to bring peace and calm to those around you, you won’t be quite so demanding of your friends, and you will honor your parents in a more genuine way.
Our job is simply to yield control of our lives to Jesus. His job is to use our lives to reach others. We get to spread it around by our words and our actions.
Jesus’ words and the way He lived His life will lead you to find the things of God’s kingdom. Everything He said and everything He did pleased God. If you read the Bible and learn His words, you will learn how to live as He did.
Both a few days ago and today you’ve heard us talk about the good “seeds” God sows in our lives- the seeds of God’s Word and the seeds of His kingdom. The words of Jesus are like seeds filled with good things. Once those seeds grow into healthy plants, fruit will begin to grow. Each piece of fruit is one of the eternal things God wants to bring into our lives; the “fruit” of living right with God with peace and joy in our hearts.
If fruit is never picked, it never does anyone any good. It has to be picked and eaten to have any purpose at all. But if we eat it, it becomes a part of us and gives us health and strength to continue living. So it is with the fruit that God grows in our lives; if we never use it, it won’t ever become a part of our lives.
Fill your heart and mind with the words of Jesus and learn God’s truth. Then the good fruit of right living with God will grow in your life. Look inside your heart and mind for that fruit and listen to the voice inside that leads you to do what is right. When you do what pleases God, you are living your life in His kingdom. That’s where you’ll find true success – the kind that never ends.