Marvelous faith is the product of understanding

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!... Go your way; and as you believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour. - Matthew 8:5-13(NKJV)

It was like any day in the ministry of the Lord, when people would just come up to Him asking for a healing there and a miracle here. However, in this particular case our Lord was in for a really wonderful treat.

Upon hearing of the case about the centurion's servant, the Lord immediately responded as He usually would with any request, "Alright, I'm coming, lets go on over to your place..."

But just when He was about to go on His way to the centurion's house, He was halted by a rare declaration of faith. The centurion explained to Him a couple of things:

1. He wasn't worthy. Which means he knew exactly who Jesus was. He understand that our humble Lord was higher and holier than any emperor that could possibly exist. And if those people made you feel inferior enough, how much more the King of kings, the Emperor of emperors, the God of gods! He understood that no one in his country would dare ask an emperor to come to his home just to see a servant. How much more would one dare to ask the creator of all things to travel for the same task.

2. He understood the meaning of authority. He was a soldier and a commander. At his very command people's lives could be taken and given back to them. And at the very command of his emperor his life could be taken with just a simple word. The centurion explained that he understood the authority that Jesus had and still has today. That with a single word nothing shall be impossible. And with that, the centurion only needed a Word.

What was the result of this friend?

When Jesus heard it, He marveled,...

He marveled! Jesus was astonished! Wow! What faith! What faith!

Friend, what can we learn from all this today? Well, we learn that suprising God with our faith is definitely a plus. Marvelous faith! And how do we come about having marvelous faith? Well, let me tell you. It's through understanding who Jesus Christ really is and applying that daily in our lives.

Do you desire marvelous faith? Then it would help you a lot to desire a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ.

Humility vs. Pride

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. - Matthew 3:13-15 (NKJV)

Waiting in lines, holding on the phone, taking the last place, all speak about one thing: humility.

The thing about humility that really bothers most people is the thought of being:

- under and not on top
- inferior and not superior
- a servant and not a master
- last and not first
- a loser and not a winner
- dependent and not independent
- poor and not rich

The list can be so much longer than this but I think you get the point.

Most people are so unwilling to be placed under a higher power. Everyone wants to be the boss. Everyone yearns for absolute power. The trouble with this attitude is that it also reflects in our unwillingness to yield to God.

However, Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, took a different turn one day when he came to the river Jordan to be baptized by John the baptist. John, upon seeing Him, immediately knew his place in the scene. John knew who he was looking at and he made it very clear to the Lord that he also knew who should be baptizing who. Jesus, however, said something that left John with nothing less than one of the most humbling experiences in all his life.

"Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."

All righteousness. Not some righteousness. But all.

Friend, keep this reminder close with you. Remember, that the highest people in life are not those who are feared, but rather, they are those who are respected. Respect comes to those who are willing to exalt or lift others up and not to those who bring people down. God bless you!

Humility breeds righteousness and respect.
Pride breeds corruption and condemnation.

Get Intimate with God

...that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. - 1John 1:3-4 (NKJV)

Why is a "personal relationship" with the Lord Jesus important? Well, there are many reasons for that. A very important one is the fact that the Christian life has a lot of private and personal elements to it--like prayer.

It's true that Christianity has a whole bunch of group activities. Camps, group bible studies, worship services, prayer meetings, etc. Wonderful gatherings that are designed and implemented to help us in arriving to a certain point of maturity in our walk with Jesus Christ while we interact with people of kindred spirits. Each of these activities serve a purpose. However, we must remember that no matter how enjoyable they may be, they are only means to an end. These activities shouldn't be our focus, but rather, our focus should be on what these activities are supposed to develop in us.

A personal relationship with the Lord brings with it what any personal relationship would--privacy and intimacy. Of course not the type of privacy and intimacy that lovers engage in. Rather, the type of intimacy that a father and his child would. A time to get away from the rest. And just spending hours on end talking with each other--enjoying each others company. Relating or sharing to each other events, issues, burdens, or joys of the day. A relationship that's warm and meaningful. This is the point.

Friend, are you active in church activities and yet feel that something is missing? Well, maybe there is. Maybe you' ve been spending too much time with other people and not enough time with God. Think about it.