Jesus used many parables to explain things of everyday life in a manner that could be understood. In Luke 13:18&19 Jesus used a simple mustard seed to communicate his message; “Then said He, Unto what is the Kingdom of God like? And whereunto shall I resemble it? (19) It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.” Often the simplest of things are misunderstood or overlooked. Jesus used one of the smallest seeds known to the people of his time the express the expanse of the growth of the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus could have chosen an acorn from which a mighty oak could have grown but instead chose the mustard seed.

            Jesus said that the mustard seed grew into a great tree. The Unger’s Bible Dictionary describes mustard as a well known plant of two species, both flourishing in the Holy Land, either plant producing minute seeds. Other sources of information regarding the mustard plant describe it as a weed, a shrub, or even a tree reaching a height of up to 10-15 feet. I find that the term “great tree” may seem somewhat exaggerated when we think of trees, yet when compared to other herbs it does become quite towering, quite capable of birds landing in it. No, Jesus really wasn’t trying to compare His church to a mighty oak; He used the humble, scrubby mustard as the example. Jesus used a very insignificant mustard seed because of its small size and its ability to grow into a magnificent plant.

            Why did Jesus really choose the mustard seed as illustration? Paul in his letter to the Corinthians summed it up in I Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world the shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” Yes simple things can become so obvious that they confuse the wise. God’s word changes lives, something man can not do. The cross that Jesus was crucified on shows weak things to the world and brings great strength and power to those who accept Christ. God uses things that within themselves are nothing to create all things that are possible.

            God did not build His church to be a mighty oak. There is no Cathedral that we have to attend, no collecting place of politicians, movie stars or other people of high standards, nor do we have to be wise, only a humble little mustard seed. Jesus said that His church will grow from the smallest to the greatest. A mustard tree is not a spectacular sight unless you were to use it as Jesus did to describe the greatness of Heaven.

            Bill Gates, one of the world’s richer men could spend all the money that he has trying to create a seed the size of a mustard seed. Yes, he could create the seed, but would it grow? Paul wrote in I Corinthians 3:11, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” God has ordained things to happen in His way, in His time. A mustard seed is a small part of God’s creation yet it can grow into a majestic tree. Jesus laid His life down so that we as small as that mustard seed can be a part of His Kingdom.

            Philip made a trip to the desert as ordered by the angel of the Lord. (Acts 8:26-40) The angel told Philip to travel south into the desert between Jerusalem and Gaza so Philip began the journey. The Bible says that while on his way he came across a eunuch, of high standing from Ethiopia, who was sitting in his chariot reading. The spirit told Philip to go to the chariot and stay near it; Philip ran to the chariot. The eunuch was reading from the book of Isaiah but did not understand what he read. Philip was given an opportunity to explain the scripture and later during the travel to Baptist the eunuch.

            Philip and the eunuch were very different. The eunuch (a Greek word meaning “bed keeper”) was probably a different color, had been castrated, and no doubt had a higher position than Philip since he was in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. Philip left an active ministry to go to the desert following God’s will to minister to the eunuch. Philip set aside differences.

            Here is a story about being of one mind together. Every morning Phil passed Barney’s Auto Repair on his way to work. Barney’s place was dirty and rundown. Phil was proud that his office was state of the art. He was even more proud the he was scheduled to receive the Employee of the Year Award that morning. About two blocks past Barney’s place, Phil’s car lost power and stopped. He got out and looked under the hood, all to no avail. He didn’t even know what to look for. He walked through the drizzling rain to Barney’s shop. Upon hearing of Phil’s plight, Barney said: “Let’s get in my old truck and go down and see if we can tell what’s the matter.” Phil usually would have been afraid of getting dirty in Barney’s truck, but he was already soaked by the falling rain. Arriving at the scene, Barney opened the hood, surveyed the situation, poked a wire back in place and said: “Nothing much wrong, just a loose wire. Start your engine.” As Barney closed the hood and wiped his hands on the rag in his pocket, he smiled and said, “Have a nice day!”

            There is considerable difference between Phil and Barney. We need to learn to respect those who are not like us. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:9-21 to be devoted to one another in brotherly love, a sincere love, not in a hypocritical manner. We are to honor one another above ourselves keeping our spiritual fervor always looking for spiritual guidance. We are to live in harmony with each other. Verse 16 says that we should not be proud and be willing to associate with people of low position.

            Things are happening all around us that cause us to want to take revenge or at least attempt to correct some wrong. Romans 12:19 tells us to leave room for God’s wrath: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

            Doctor Martin Luther King, I believe, practiced Romans 12:9-21. He had a vision of one Nation under God just as our founding fathers had the vision. While others have attempted to carry on Dr King’s dream, pride and conceit has clouded the vision. God created us to work as a team, together for the purpose of praising Him.

            Try a trip to the desert, go someplace that you haven’t been. Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Sometimes the last word is not the best. From my early elementary days at school I remember the teacher quoting from a poem, I believe by Emily Dickenson, sticks are stone may break the bones but silence breaks the heart. Let God have the last word, put away the differences and work together for the good of God.

            God sent a preacher from a poor setting to help the eunuch understand His word. The eunuch was a person of high standards being the keeper of the Queen’s treasury. Phil is characterized as a person of class and perfection while Barney appears to be an exact opposite. Though we are not always equally matched when God sends us on a desert mission like Philip, God does expect us to seize the opportunity that He has provided. You will never be sent anywhere for God that He doesn’t think you are ready for.

            Joy is a delight of the mind allowing us to rejoice, to be glad, and to exalt. Without joy there becomes a void of emptiness and a quagmire of sorrow. There are many ways of expressing joy, here is a way of looking at joy: Jesus first, others second and yourself last. Unfortunately most of the time joy gets turned completely around and you get advanced to first place.

            “You” actually gets put in first place and at times you are so filled up with yourself that you become like the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea has no outlet, only an inlet that allows a continual flow of minerals into it. The Dead Sea is so full of minerals that you can easily float in it making it a tourist attraction. People, who have more inlet than outlet, have one difference to the Dead Sea, don’t attract people, they turn them away. Solomon said, “Be stingy and lose everything. Be generous…prosper.”(Proverbs 11:24-25) God never intended for us to be ponds and lakes but to rivers where outpouring of joy flows in its proper sequence. When we invest in the needs of others, God promises to meet our needs.

            The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 that a person who gives cheerfully will have plenty to share. Verse 7 says that if we are forced to give that it is not Christian giving. The giving described in these two verses is not of a monetary nature; it tells that God’s grace will abound in you. Giving of yourself uses God’s blessing for the good of others. Only God knows when the seed of kindness will come back to bless you. The thing that you do for others does not go unnoticed. “God is not unjust, he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”(Hebrews 6:10)

            A lady was praying about starting a pet grooming business but couldn’t afford to advertise. So she went to her local animal shelter and volunteered to groom pets in order to increase their chances for adoption. Interestingly, the harder she worked the more her own business grew by word of mouth. Finally she ended up with more clients than she could handle. Thankfully God’s unconditional love covers us even when we fail to help others.

            Yesterday I spoke with a lady who is in sales with a large company. I had last seen her several months ago, sales were down and her job was on the line. She was visiting a friend at the hospital where we had an opportunity to talk. I told her that she needed to put Jesus first, ask herself, what would Jesus do? “What a difference putting Jesus first,” she said, “sales are up and I am number one in sales on the east coast.” Yes, it does make a difference when you put Jesus and others ahead of your own needs.

            If you are beginning to feel a bit loaded down, try a little JOY. Don’t be like the Dead Sea, everything coming in and nothing good out. Life is challenging enough without adding to the Dead Sea. Put Jesus First, Others second and yourself last.

            Joy is a delight of the mind allowing us to rejoice, to be glad, and to exalt. Without joy there becomes a void of emptiness and a quagmire of sorrow. There are many ways of expressing joy, here is a way of looking at joy: Jesus first, others second and yourself last. Unfortunately most of the time joy gets turned completely around and you get advanced to first place.

            “You” actually gets put in first place and at times you are so filled up with yourself that you become like the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea has no outlet, only an inlet that allows a continual flow of minerals into it. The Dead Sea is so full of minerals that you can easily float in it making it a tourist attraction. People, who have more inlet than outlet, have one difference to the Dead Sea, don’t attract people, they turn them away. Solomon said, “Be stingy and lose everything. Be generous…prosper.”(Proverbs 11:24-25) God never intended for us to be ponds and lakes but to rivers where outpouring of joy flows in its proper sequence. When we invest in the needs of others, God promises to meet our needs.

            The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 that a person who gives cheerfully will have plenty to share. Verse 7 says that if we are forced to give that it is not Christian giving. The giving described in these two verses is not of a monetary nature; it tells that God’s grace will abound in you. Giving of yourself uses God’s blessing for the good of others. Only God knows when the seed of kindness will come back to bless you. The thing that you do for others does not go unnoticed. “God is not unjust, he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”(Hebrews 6:10)

            A lady was praying about starting a pet grooming business but couldn’t afford to advertise. So she went to her local animal shelter and volunteered to groom pets in order to increase their chances for adoption. Interestingly, the harder she worked the more her own business grew by word of mouth. Finally she ended up with more clients than she could handle. Thankfully God’s unconditional love covers us even when we fail to help others.

            Yesterday I spoke with a lady who is in sales with a large company. I had last seen her several months ago, sales were down and her job was on the line. She was visiting a friend at the hospital where we had an opportunity to talk. I told her that she needed to put Jesus first, ask herself, what would Jesus do? “What a difference putting Jesus first,” she said, “sales are up and I am number one in sales on the east coast.” Yes, it does make a difference when you put Jesus and others ahead of your own needs.

            If you are beginning to feel a bit loaded down, try a little JOY. Don’t be like the Dead Sea, everything coming in and nothing good out. Life is challenging enough without adding to the Dead Sea. Put Jesus First, Others second and yourself last.

            A verse from the 23^rd Psalms calls attention to the walk that we should follow: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; Your rod and your staff they comfort me.” (Psalms 23:4) The shadow of death refers to the powers of darkness and the powerful attacks from Satan. When God is with you, the protection of the Shepherd will fight off any evil that crosses your path. God is continually beating back the powers of darkness for us.

            God promises His protection, he will always be there for us. There is a story in II Kings 6:10-23 that describes the protection that God has circled us with. The king of Syria has declared war against Israel, every move that he makes Israel already knows that it is coming and is aware of the attack. The king is furious that secrets are being shared and calls his cabinet together. A servant tells the king that they are true, the prophet Elisha of Israel tells the kings words. Spies are sent out to locate Elisha. All available troops, horses and chariots are sent out to surround one man, Elisha. Imagine Elisha’s servant that next morning when he saw the entire Syrian army surrounding the town. The servant went to the man of God saying, “What shall we do?” Elisha answered “Fear not” and prayed that his servant’s eyes would be opened. When God opened the servant’s eyes he saw the chariots of fire circled between them and the enemy. What a surprise to the servant, their protection was already in place.

            Elisha assured the servant that God would protect them. The protection of the chariots of fire, though invisible, was present all along yet not seen until the eyes of the servant were opened. Satan through deception will blind us to things around us. God has placed a wall of protection around us. I John 4:4 tell us “…greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.” The creator, God, created Satan, making God more powerful than Satan. It is not hard to understand that with full trust in God that we can be stronger than Satan. Truth is we tend to go through life trying to ride two horses with one behind. We try to serve the world and God.

            Jesus told of a miracle working power in Acts 1:8. He is talking about a baptism of the Holy Spirit where you are giving in your greatest capacity for Christ. It is all about submitting your all to Christ so that your eyes are opened to the Will of God through Jesus. Pray that God opens the eyes of your heart and see your chariots of fire.