Is Your Box Too Small?

“And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful?  How is it that ye have no faith?” 

Mark 4:40

“Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.” 

Matthew 9:29

“…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”  Matthew 17:20

 “…God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”  Romans 12: 3 

            No matter how we phrase it or put it into words, the idea of releasing our faith beyond our natural understanding has become our greatest challenge for this hour.  If we are going to grow beyond our limited knowledge of Christ, then we must tune our mind to the channel of faith, that we might receive all that He wants to do in our life.

            The idea of living in a small box suggests that I have limited room to grow or expand.  Many times in our walk with God, our faith becomes too small for what God wants to do in our life.  It is at this point that we might realize the need for a bigger box.  The bigger box represents an increase in faith. 

            It is our faith that gives us the power and authority to trust in the word of God for all of our needs.  It is our faith that helps define our character and creates zeal within us to obey God.  It is our faith that opens the door to the favor of God.  It is our faith that causes the blessings of Christ released, and therefore if our faith is not in full operation, then our blessings become stagnant and we become unable to receive.

            When we examine the word of God, we are able to see how a lack of faith and understanding can negatively affect the “out-pour” of blessings that God desire to bestow upon us.

            As we look into the word of God, we find that Ananias and his wife were short on faith, so instead of trusting God they lied to the Holy Ghost concerning their offering.  King Agrippa told Paul that he was “almost persuaded” to become a Christian.  The fact that he was “almost persuaded” indicated the need for more faith.  The Rich Young Ruler was unable to comprehend why Jesus asked him to sell his possessions so he walked away.  And even Martha after Lazarus died said, “Lord had you been here my brother would not have died.”

            Each of these biblical patriarchs had their faith locked away in a box that did not allow them room to receive.  If they only had a bigger box the outcome for their circumstance might have been different.  For many of us today our relationship to God is quite similar.  What we need to understand is that if we really desire the blessings and favor of God, we must submit to two important principles of life: [1] the exercising of faith and [2] a relentless work ethic. Of course if your box don’t allow room for these then you might consider getting a bigger box.