Words

Words matter. "What you say is what you get." Have you heard that before? It's true. Listen, or rather read, to this:

In Mark 11, Jesus is going to Jerusalem to spend some time there in the temple. After he goes away for the night and gets His rest, He is on His way back to the temple but He is hungry. Wouldn't it be nice to find a fruit tree and have some fruit this morning?

Jesus spies a fig tree from a distance and goes over to get some figs. However, when He gets to the fig tree to see if He can get some figs for His breakfast, the tree has no figs! What? No figs? What does Jesus do? Even though it was not the season for figs, Jesus was expecting figs. When He found there were no figs He responded to the fig tree - yes, the fig tree! - by saying, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." Notice He spoke to the fig tree!

Now He goes about His business in the temple but again passes by the fig tree. Jesus wasn't expecting anything different than what He had said to it prior that day - no fruit and maybe, just maybe He was expecting more - like no fig tree at all! But Peter notices the tree and what was he expecting? In the story you see that Peter is somewhat surprised at what He sees. He says to Jesus, "Rabbi, look!" (That's surprise). "The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." It died. It's gone. Or soon to be gone as it is withered.

Jesus responds to Peter and answers to all that are with Him (since this is a Bible story it is a response to us today too!), "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain (or fig tree! Or whatever!), 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."

Now there it is - isn't that something? Notice all the "says." I've put them in italics for you above in the story. Our words do matter. We'll get what we say!

Read the story yourself in Mark 11:11-16.