Like A Grain of Mustard Seed

Mark4:30-32  "...Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God?.....It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:  But when it is sown it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches;....."
     We often speak of these verses as "faith" verses, but if you noticed, it doesn't say, "Faith is like a grain of mustard seed....."  Yet, I believe these verses do tell us much about faith.
Faith is not here referred to in quantity but it is referred to in quality.  These verses do not say that faith is a grain of mustard seed, nor does it say that the Kingdom of Heaven is a grain of mustard seed.  It says, "...It is LIKE a grain of mustard seed....."  So, what is meant by "LIKE"?  LOOKS like?  No!  Of course not.  Rather, it ACTS like a grain of mustard seed.
     If you take a grain of mustard seed and lay it on the table, you may watch it all day long and it will not do anything.  It is dead, or dormant!  But if you take that dead seed and put it into soil, water it, and tend it carefully, it will come to life and spring up into a great plant and be productive.  That's just like faith.  You may have a table top full of faith but it is dead.  James 2:26 says, "...Faith without works is dead also."  So, faith must be put to work.  It's not how many seeds of faith you have, but it's the quality of the seed that will make a difference.  Faith can be dormant or it can be active.
     I think we can say that faith works like this:  First the seed (faith) is planted into the ground.  Don't worry about what it looks like now.  It must complete it's dormant state of existence.  Then water by prayer and positive confession.  That's not Positive Mental Attitude statements, rather Positive Word of God statements.  Finally, wait!  This may be the hardest part - Waiting.  Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary and they shall walk, and not faint."  Wait patiently and expectantly.  Then comes the harvest!
     Don't be concerned that you have a little faith or a lot of faith but see to it that you have active faith - faith like a grain of mustard seed!