DATE POSTED Monday, 2023-01-02
WRITTEN AT: O’Brien, FL
SCRIPTURE FROM: Luke 7:6-7; 9-10;
TRANSLATION: The Voice (VOICE)
BIBLE TEXT: 6 So Jesus accompanied them. When they approached the Centurion’s home, the Centurion sent out some friends to bring a message to Jesus.
Message of the Centurion: Lord, don’t go to the trouble of coming inside. I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. 7 That’s why I sent others with my request. Just say the word, and that will be enough to heal my servant.
9 Jesus was deeply impressed when He heard this. He turned to the crowd that followed Him.
Jesus: Listen, everyone. This outsider, this Roman, has more faith than I have found even among our own Jewish people.
10 The friends of the Centurion returned home, and they found the slave was completely healed.
APPLICATION: Unless we focus on the main lesson in today’s Scripture, we may drift off into wondering why the Centurion didn’t go to Jesus himself. Or why didn’t Jesus pronounce the healing as soon as He received word from the Centurion, for surely, He knew how dire the situation was. But let’s not forget to place ourselves in the shoes of the Centurion. Who are we that we would send friends to the highest religious order of our day and ask that he drop what he’s doing and rush on over to our house? What type of palace do we live in, that we would open the door and invite the Lord Jesus in? Inside our home, is everything in place to impress Jesus with our religious stand? Of all the people in the world who need help from Jesus, who are we that He would consider listening, or responding, to us? Friends, regardless of your answers to these questions, or even if this prompted more questions from you, notice that the Centurion still took action. Many will sit, waiting for their ship to come in, but if you didn’t send one out, why should you expect one to come in? Perhaps the Centurion felt unworthy, just as he said, but he may have also wanted to stay close to his servant, just in case the situation worsened. So many questions, and so many excuses we could conjure up to excuse our inaction, but the Centurion moved into action and asked his respected leaders to make the journey and ask Jesus, on his behalf. Of particular interest is the fact that even though Centurions were looked down on by the Jews, yet Jesus responded to the request of this Centurion when He first received the request, and again when the second message arrived asking Jesus to heal the servant remotely. My primary take-away in this story is that Jesus openly shared how amazed He was at the faith of this humble, caring man. In fact, He gave him the designation of being so filled with faith, that he put it into action for someone else. I believe that many of my readers and listeners are regular church attendees. Let me encourage you to meditate on this Scripture long enough to do a self-evaluation of your faith. Knowing that you can do nothing to impress Jesus, what do you suppose He would say about your level of faith? Do you suppose that your faith is strong enough that you would have attempted something like the Centurion did? If not, what do you suppose you need to help you grow in your faith? Jesus is not out of reach, dear friends. He loved you enough to hang on a cross and die for your sins. He loves you enough that He said that He has gone to be with the Father to prepare a place in Heaven for us, so that where He is, we may be also. Surely, He is more than ready to hear our cry for help, and also willing to heal – even from a distance, like He did for the Centurion’s servant. Trust Him, and call on Him, for He cares for you!
BLESSING(S) NOTED: The Jews looked down on the Centurions, but Jesus listened to the cry from His precious child and answered his request. Others may look down on us, but we are number one in the eyes of our Master and Lord!
PRAYER: Lord, we are amazed by Your respect for all Your children, and Your willingness to accept all of Your creation, even those we may turn our noses up at. Thank You for hearing my plea and accepting me as Your child. Just as the Centurion found peace in getting a message to You about His dire need, my readers, listeners and myself know that each and every day will bring new challenges that we will need to call on You for. None on earth are truly righteous, but Lord I pray that You will continue to teach us to call on You for each and every need, or concern of our lives. Some on earth may dismiss us because we are not rich enough, or the partying kind, or we go to church too much, but I truly believe that when You forgave our sin, and accepted us into Your kingdom, we became true sons and daughters of the Most High God. Forgive us Lord when we listen to Satan and cower in our corner. Please give us the confidence so deserving of Your child and the boldness to call on You for the little and impossible things of life. You are God, and besides You there is no other. We acknowledge that today and wait for the time when You will call us home to glory! AMEN!
FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!