Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
November 12, 2021
Read Matthew 8:5-13
5 When Jesus went to Capernaum, a centurion approached, 6 pleading with him, “Lord, my servant is flat on his back at home, paralyzed, and his suffering is awful.” 7 Jesus responded, “I’ll come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I don’t deserve to have you come under my roof. Just say the word and my servant will be healed. 9 I’m a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and the servant does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was impressed and said to the people following him, “I say to you with all seriousness that even in Israel I haven’t found faith like this. 11 I say to you that there are many who will come from east and west and sit down to eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.” 13 Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it will be done for you just as you have believed.” And his servant was healed that very moment.
Good Morning! Neither time nor space can separate us from God!
Faith is an interesting concept as we see in both the Old and New Testaments. For me, true faith is often revealed during our biggest challenges. Again, the story of Peter stepping out of the boat and onto the water comes to my mind. The fact that he stepped out was a major leap of faith, but the story doesn’t end there. Suddenly, his mind kicks in and thinks, “What in the world are you doing, you can’t walk on water!”, and immediately Peter begins to sink into the water.
This story is so important to remember on our own faith journeys because like Peter sometimes our earthly understanding blurs our vision and we realize that what we’re seeing or doing is impossible. Our brain gets in the way and tells us that it can’t be done. God’s ways are not our ways and nothing is impossible to God, our creator. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
The centurion who came to Jesus showed great faith. Because he believed that Jesus could heal his servant from afar, the servant was healed. By faith, he believed. He had no need to run to check to see if his servant was healed. He knew it! For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
True faith gives us the confidence to answer God’s call and follow the path to eternal life. Embrace your faith and live your life with the joy of knowing God cares about you and will protect you.
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. We are your children and we still struggle with true faith. We pray that over time we can learn to believe in the unseen and fully trust in You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: No distance can separate me from God.
Live by faith! Pastor Liz
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