Being the Least of All

Wade E Taylor

“Another parable put He forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”  Matthew 13:31

Being the “least” of all seeds, this mustard seed, which is likened to the Kingdom of God , is so small that the natural eye can barely see it.  Thus, it is not “how much” we have spiritually, but rather, what we “do” with what we have, that is important.  All that the Lord looks for and needs, is our “willingness,” along with our heart “obedience.”

“If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”  Isaiah 1:19

When this seed is grown, it becomes the greatest among herbs.  This herb is “medicinal,” and its value is received only after it is crushed or ground, and then boiled.  This relates to the “good works” of Ephesians 2:10.  These “good works” refer to the method, or process which the Lord uses to reduce our self-life to zero, and produce within us that which He can use for His purposes.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10

Our becoming “medicinal” means that we have come to the end of all seeking for self-satisfaction and fulfillment.  We have submitted ourselves to the will and purposes of the Lord, and we are living our lives for the benefit of others (the herb).  It is not easy for any of us “to give up the right” to our own lives – our being able to go where “we” desire to go and doing what we want to do.  For this to happen, we must go through severe dealings, just as this “herb” is ground and boiled to become medicinal.

That is, we must come to the place where we are of value to the Lord, and to others.  Our being “His workmanship” (the product that He is producing) means that we have given the Lord the right and permission to produce within us the ability to release spiritual life into another, through anointed impartation.  Just as Jesus gave Himself for us, now we are to give ourselves for others.

“And becomes a tree.”  An herb is a bush.  Through divine intervention, this herb has now become a tree.  This is a “mutation,” a transformation from one realm of being into a higher realm of spiritual life.  Only the Lord can do this.  A mutation into a higher realm has never happened in nature.  For example, a rock becoming a living tree, or, a nominal Christian becoming a part of His Bride.

This transformation from our being an herb into being a tree is the result of the “good works” - the things (the tools) that the Lord will use to accomplish His purpose within us.  We simply need to place ourselves in the hands of the Lord and give Him permission to do whatever may be necessary to cause us to become that which He (potentially) sees us to be (His Bride).  To a person who is submitted and committed, there is no such thing as secular or spiritual.  Everything in our lives becomes important and has a purpose.

As the value of an herb results from its being ground or pulverized, so also, through His dealings and processing’s, we are being raised up to rule.  Therefore, there must be transitional dealings to remove all that relates to our self-life, so the government of God will become a righteous government.  It will take these “good works” to make the “herb” that we are, to be transformed through divine intervention, into a tree.

If I have become a tree, then there will be a stability and strength that others can lean upon and trust.  I will have become a tree of righteousness, with all manner of fruit for the healing of the nations.  I am now planted by the River of Life and I will have direct contact with Jesus, the Tree of Life.

Here, I will receive from Him and I will have “life” to impart to others.  When I become this tree, others (birds) will come and lodge in the branches of my experience - my personal relationship and walk with the Lord.  The spiritually young, the needy, the fearful, all those who need healing - these will all come and lodge in the branches of my spiritual life experience because they sense that I have something to give.

In this present time, the Lord has intensified the process of making a people ready.  When the “herb” that we are, has become “a tree of life” (His life revealed through our lives), we will have become that which the Lord desired us to be.

It has been said that if we have the goods, others will find us and come to lodge in the branches of our experience.

“I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me… that I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.”  Proverbs 8:17, 21

This “substance” is the very life of our Lord imparted into our lives, and then through us, into the lives of others.  We cannot give what we do not have.  To receive, we must spend time in His presence.

“He gives power (substance) to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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.”  Isaiah 40:29-31