Faith is often thought of as being a glass to be filled. You either have it or you don’t. Looking to the verse about faith, do you think Jesus believed faith to be something to be acquired?The Faith of a Roman Officer
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
But the officer said, “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. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
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! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.”And the young servant was healed that same hour. (Matthew 8, NLT)
Perhaps faith is not so passive. When preparing for a marathon, weeks and months of training are required to get both the body and mind in the proper form to handle the rigor of trial to come. Is our spiritual battle requiring of any less commitment or is it any less important?
It sounds too hard doesn’t it? When comparing faith to a marathon, does that give you hope or make you question whether you should even try? But what if the Roman Officer hadn’t come to see Jesus, or believed his worthlessness would prevent Jesus’ power from saving his servant? He made a choice and believed it. It’s doesn’t have to be complex, but you have to choose to start somewhere!
Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land—the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah. They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken! (Jeremiah 1:17-19, NLT)
Seeking the Son is a website dedicated to the search for a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Ken is also the founder of ChangeForge, a website focusing on the shifting paradigms of business and technology. To discover all of the places you can connect with Ken, please connect with him here.
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