"Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say "Go" and they go, or "Come" and they come... when Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said. I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel."
The man in this passage was a Roman office, man of high position. He went to Jesus because he believed that only one word was enough to heal his servant, he recognized Jesus's authority over all creation.
I am back home after 8 months away, enjoying time with family and some friends. It has been only 2 weeks but I can find myself desencouraged with my circumstances ...because I forget WHO is the God I am serving, he is the creator of all the Earth.
4 comments:
thanks for your reflection, fabiana. it's great to be encouraged by sisters from "all around the world!"
that the man was a roman centurion is a crucial point in the story. he was not raised on the biblical teachings; he very likely had no prior knowledge of God.
yet the few things the centurion had heard about Jesus was enough for him to believe with such a deep and abiding faith that even our Lord was amazed.
Jesus was amazed, not only by the kind of faith he had, but that the man was a gentile, a "foreigner". a Roman centurion almost had no business having a faith like that.
Jesus expands on this point: "i say to you that many will come from the east and the west and take their places at the feast with abraham, isaac and jacob in the kingdom of heaven. but the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth".
surely we who have been raised in the church are "the subjects of the kingdom". we have heard the truths of the gospel all our lives, but are "slow to believe".
we've heard so much yet our faith is so small. in contrast the roman centurion heard so little yet believed so much.
Jesus says that "others" like the roman centurion, "will come from the east and the west" and will take their place at the feast. in other words, those not raised in the church.
they will get in ahead of us, if we get in at all, because they believe so readily and with such faith. the roman centurion teaches us that taking Jesus "at His word" is the secret.
...we miss you Fabiana!
i am in agreement with you... we forget who God is! darla smn always says lot of our problems stems from the fact that we just don't know Him!
the area that i also struggle with is unbelief! i say that i love Him and that He is my Lord but i miss out on healing and blessings because deep down i don't believe He is able.
What a blessed faith he has!!
(I'm praying for you Fabi! Take a good care!)
God is so good that with the tiny faith that I have in Him, He does not cease to amaze me with the blessings He has granted me. I pray that my faith may continue to grow stronger. May i be able to believe in Him in ALL circumstances and aspects of my life.
i could only imagine what my life would be like if my faith was just as strong as the centurion..
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