Jesus Speaks

JESUS SPEAKING

    Now as Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed and is dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered saying, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a 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! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.” (Matthew 8: 5-13.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

    The Roman Empire had conquered the Holy Land in 63 B.C. And yet during the first century, due to the continued threat of rebellion, soldiers were permanently stationed around the region. A ‘centurion’ was an officer in charge of 100 soldiers; they were usually men of impeccable character. This particular centurion came to Jesus and humbled himself; publicly confessing his own unworthiness while praising and honoring the Son of God. Jesus responded by honoring the centurion; He publicly elevated this man’s faith above every Jew in Israel. To this very day, God continues to honor those who humble themselves and exalt Him. Jesus has proclaimed that, “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
    In 1924, a Scotsman named Eric Liddell was expected to win the Olympic gold medal in the 100 meter dash. He had grown up in a missionary family and was a seriously committed Christian. His parents had taught him to faithfully observe the Sunday Sabbath; a weekly day of rest, church attendance, and fellowship. When Eric found out that the 100 meter dash was scheduled for a Sunday, he made the decision to ‘sit it out.’ His own countrymen attempted to persuade him to participate; as did an endless array of powerful people. Still he remained convinced that honoring God on His day was more important than winning a medal. A few months before the Olympics began, he decided to start training for the 400 meter dash (an event that wasn’t on Sunday.) No one expected him to do well. But on the day of the race, while approaching the starting blocks, an American trainer placed a piece of paper in Eric’s hand. There was a bible verse written on it. Specifically, 1 Samuel verse 2: 30. The scripture reads, “Those who honor me I will honor.” Eric ran that race for God; and not only did he win the gold medal, but he also broke the world record. He had pushed his own desires for glory aside; and because he had honored God, the Lord exalted Eric above his fellows.
    Placing God in His proper position necessitates humility. Honoring Him requires selflessness. We must become less important while He becomes more important. He is righteous and we are unrighteous; He is worthy, and we are unworthy. We forgo glory so that God may have it. Only those who raise Him up in this life will be raised up into everlasting life. There are so many ways to glorify God. We can make Him a continued topic of discussion in our personal relationships. We can pray to Him and seek His counsel daily. We can give credit to the Lord for the good works that we do. When we give something to another person we can say, “This is from the Lord.” When a person attempts to thank us, we can lovingly remind them that Jesus Christ is the one who deserves to be thanked. We can make it known that the good things we accomplish are the blessings of God. May the Lord continue to dwell in the center of our hearts; may we give Him the glory; and may we honor Him with our lives.
    “Lord Heavenly Father, give us more opportunities to honor and glorify You. May our hearts be humble, and our minds pure. Give us the strength to lay down our lives in this world, so that we might better serve you. We love You Lord, we thank You, and we praise You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name, amen.” God bless all of you!