5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. (Matthew 8)
Dealing with people day affter day, as they share their life struggles, I find it almost amazing at times that those who should have the most faith - those who are found in a house of worship regularly, are those who often live day to day like they have none, while those who are in the deepest waters often go through a crisis with more hope and faith with little show of consistent religiousity. How can that be? Though we are sure Jesus was not "shocked" by any human response - as He knew all men's hearts - He does pause, step back, and call attention to this man who recognized His care, His power, and His authority to actually do something. When you face your next "crisis" in life - mayby today - step back and ask yourself: "What do I really believe about Christ? Do I truly believe, and react like, He is the loving, powerful Son of God Who can?"
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