How to measure your F.Q. (Faith Quotient)

The Word for today:
Luke 18:35-19:10

I'm not really little, but I'm certainly not big. I guess you could say that I'm closer to little than big.

But all of us are little in absolute terms. One of us might not be able to lift 50 pounds, while someone else might lift 500 pounds. But none of us can lift a boulder. And a boulder, in terms of the earth, is a speck of dust. And the earth, in terms of the sun, is a speck of dust. And the sun, in terms of the galaxy, is a speck of dust. And the galaxy, in terms of the cosmos, is a speck of dust.

So much for "big" and "little."

But I do know someone who is big in absolute terms. And just knowing him lends me a stature that is incalculable.

Zacchaeus knew him, too. Zacchaeus was the little man who climbed up a tree and met a great big Jesus. And having met Jesus, we watch this little man grow very "big" right before our eyes:

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner."
And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold."
And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:5-10)

Some would read about Zacchaeus and conclude that size doesn't matter in the kingdom of heaven. But they would be wrong, because in the kingdom of heaven, size means everything! However, it's not your size or my size that makes any difference. Rather, it's the size of our concept of Jesus that matters.

Jesus addressed this issue when he taught about the faith of a mustard seed:
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 17:6)

What that means is that a little faith in a big Jesus = big faith.

The converse is also true: big faith in a little Jesus = little faith.

These equations are due to the fact that faith is defined by its object. Your faith quotient is not expressed in terms of you, but in terms of what you believe in.

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I once told my sons, when they were very small, that our problems may be big--but Jesus is bigger than our problems...

"Well, how big is he, Dad?"

"Remember the other day when Mommy couldn't find her keys? Remember when she asked us, 'Does anybody know where I put my keys?' "

"I remember.  She looked for an hour!"

"Right. Well, sometimes Jesus can't find the universe! So he asks all the angels, 'Does anybody know where I put that darn universe?' "

"So, what do the angels say?"

"First, they ask him if he's checked all his pockets!"

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