[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Monday, June 2, 2014

[Paul via Faith-talk]

Hello and greetings to you all on a glorious day here in Baltimore weatherwise.  I hope that, by God's matchless grace and His providential care, that you are all doing well.

Have you ever been confronted with the thought that you just had to move a mountain? Of course, not a real one, but a seeming impossibility of needing to remove something in your life, whether that be a bad habit, the separation of yourself from friends who would lead you away from the Lord or any number of such bad practices? Well, Sharon Conners addresses this issue in her article entitled "Move A Mountain," rendered as follows:

If someone told you to go up to Mount Rainier and move it, you might laugh.  It is an impossible task to move a mountain that is 14,410 feet high.  Yet, Jesus told us that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move a mountain (Matt. 17:20).

There are some people who climb mountains for sport or just for the thrilling adventure.  They have also spent a considerable amount of time in training to be athletic enough to climb the highest of heights.  They usually begin with smaller mountains and work up to bigger ones.

They often do this in groups.  None of them would climb a mountain without the proper gear to assist them.  Occasionally, we hear on the news about mountain climbers who fail and have to be rescued or, worse, die in their attempts.  You will never die moving mountains with Jesus' help.

If you think about it, when we take a step of faith, we are taking a risk.  But we cannot lose with faith in Jesus Christ.  If you are afraid to move "a mountain," ask a good Christian friend to help you and hold you accountable.

Sometimes the problems we face in life can seem like a huge mountain in our way.  When we feel like this, we should not admit defeat.

The amazing thing about having faith the size of a mustard seed is the size of the tree that seed becomes.  In Matthew 13:31-32, we are told, "Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:  which indeed is the least of all seeds:  but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."

In the same way, we can grow in faith that in Jesus we will conquer our troubles.  As you become more faithful, you will see the mountains in your way shrinking until they appear to be the size of an ant hill.

Like the mountain climber, start small and stretch yourself a little further each time.  You will find yourself able to conquer bigger tasks each time.

Unlike the mountain climber, you will not have to climb the mountains in your way.  Through faith in Christ Jesus, you can move the mountain blocking your way.  And remember, Jesus is your companion.  He will not let you fail.

And there you have Sharon's article which I trust was a blessing for you today.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing, tomorrow there will be another Daily Thought message for you.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul