5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea; and it would obey you.” Luke 17:5-6
 
Our habits are deceptive and fearsome barriers to our salvation. We constantly build up behaviors as we interact with this material world that become ingrained in us as habits. Throughout each moment of the day, we are preoccupied with waking up, going to work, moving from work to home, watching television, cooking, eating, and resting. From morning to night, we are so bombarded by this world that it is difficult for
God’s teachings to find space in our lives. We are so impeded from learning and understanding God’s teachings that it becomes easy for us to lose our connection to God.

Does this mean we should not live in this world? Of course, not. Rather, we must ensure that how we live is directed by and connected to our understanding of God and His purpose. At each moment in our lives, we must always strive to understand and follow where God leads us. Nothing is lasting in this world of real value which we should envy or seek. Though we live in this world, whatever we do in this world should be in a reinforcement of our faith. God blesses on this earth those who focus on building successful lives for heaven. Though many say they follow the Lord in their daily lives, many have a dead, superficial faith, disconnected from the Lord.
 
How is faith alive? It is alive when we are connected to God. And we connect with God in each moment through our thoughts, decisions, and actions at that moment. When we follow the direction of God at those moments, we make that connection. An electric engine can only work if it’s connected by what? It must be connected to power by a conducting wire. If the connection is there, the engine runs and powers the factory. We create that connection just like the wire connects the power to the motor when we follow God’s lead in each present moment.

When we do this, we are uprooting, moving, and planting. We remove the bad, move to the good, and plant through actions led by God’s purpose. If we do these three things well, we can achieve salvation. Indeed, we can achieve anything. In our faith, the connection is made by seeking God’s purpose and acting to follow that purpose in each moment of our lives. This action is that of a living faith, the faith of a mustard seed. When we are connected, we can uproot, move, and plant the mulberry tree.

1. Uproot – remove the bad, repent.
2. Move – change your directions towards God’s purpose.
3. Plant – act according to God’s direction.

The first difficulty we face is finding God’s purpose. The second is following that purpose, and thirdly, all of creation works on our behalf. So how do we find God’s meaning and purpose? It comes to us in two ways. One way is easy to understand but very difficult to follow. The other is very difficult to discern but easier to execute. So where should we put our energy to succeed in our faith? If we focus first on the former where God’s direction is clear to us, then step-by-step, we will come to understand better God’s purpose, which is difficult to comprehend, by expanding our understanding through our connection with God. We must, therefore, give our hearts completely to God. Open ourselves to receive his guidance! We must be fertile soil where the word of God can plant and grow. We cannot be like the seed that falls on the path with no soil, on rocky places, or amongst the thorns. We must put all our thoughts, energy, and effort relentlessly into making ourselves fertile soil. Focus on obeying what is clearly God’s direction. Then step-by-step, we can follow the path towards achieving our salvation.

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Summary

1. When we are connected to God, we uproot, move, and plant.
2. We must seek God’s purpose, follow that purpose, and then all God’s creation will serve us.
3. Focus first on obeying God’ direction that is easiest to comprehend, and step by step, we will be able to follow God’s direction, which is the most difficult to understand.

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