Jesus was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.” Luke 7:6-7 Faith Makes Me Worthy Jesus’ words are amazing. What he says to the centurion leaves me in awe. “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel” (Luke 7:9). What did this man say and do to merit this response? Certainly he had done good things. He was respected in his community. He was even generous. Jesus, however, did not commend him for his generosity or his goodness. It was the centurion’s words which brought Jesus’ reply, that he was not worthy to have Jesus come into his house, or even for him to stand in the presences of Jesus. These are truly humble words which make me consider how I approach the Lord. Often my prayers are like a “to do” list for God. They are more like demands than heartfelt desires. They are more like requirements than requests. My patience may even run thin when God does not respond as quickly as I would like. While I may think this attitude is justifiable, quite the opposite is true. I need to learn an important lesson from the centurion. It was his humility before the Lord which made him recognize his unworthiness. It was also his humility worked through faith which trusted that whatever Jesus would do, would be a blessing. It is this gift of faith which I need for my life. Not only does it bring me before the Lord in humility. It also makes me recognize my unworthiness to expect anything from the Lord. Still, faith leads me to Jesus. It gives me confidence to trust he will answer me. It gives me contentment to know whatever he does will be for my good. It even gives me hope to know he will rescue me from the pain of guilt over my sin, and give me freedom from the torture of the devil’s deadly grip. It is this gift of faith which gives me true humility like that of the centurion. It also leads me to confess that while I am unworthy of anything from the Lord, I can trust he will graciously give me all things. Prayer: O precious Savior, I thank you for the gift of faith which brings me before you in complete humility. While I deserve nothing from you, I know you will give me what I need. Bless me through your love. Hear and answer all my prayers. Give me peace in knowing you love me even though I am unworthy of your compassion. Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 02:37:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015