"And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, "be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you." (Luke 17:5-6)
Prior to what Jesus says here in our text, the issue addressed was forgiveness. Does it take faith to forgive? I believe it does. The desire of our heart should be to have our faith increased. Especially in regards to forgiveness. To place the offense in the Lord's hands, and say; "I do not want to hold on to the bitterness any longer." I do not want to hold this person (who hurt me) responsible any longer", would take a lot of faith.
Of all the things that people (including myself) have a tough time doing, is forgiving. We would rather hold on to the hurt, and think of ways to get revenge. Many times, hurt people have committed, to never having anything to do with the people, or party, that hurt them.
Faith is the key, in our relationship with the Lord. Just as we trust Him to get us through the storms of life, we need to trust Him in dealing with our relationships to others. Even our mustard seed faith in the Lord, will go a long way in accomplishing forgiveness.
Just as Jesus fed the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish (Luke 9:10-17) Jesus can do plenty in bringing peace to our hearts, if only we will exercise our faith, and forgive, as He forgave us.
So, Lord please "increase our faith" and show us what you can do, to help us forgive! GP
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