Taking Jesus at His Word

Matt 8:5-13
5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
6 saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."
7 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."
8 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
9 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."
10 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!
11 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.
12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
13 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.

In reading this passage, we recognize it as the story of how Jesus healed the centurion's servant.

What I found to be a constant reminder of what our walk of faith is meant to be like was by reading what the centurion had to say.

8 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
9 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."

The centurion literally took Jesus at His word and had a complete confidence that Jesus didn't have to go to his home to heal the servant but to only speak the word.

Applying it to our own lives, just how many of us are willing to do what the centurion did: take Jesus at His word and regard it as the final authority in our lives?

How many of us would rather take the word of politicians, doctors, bankers, family, friends, enemies over the inexhaustible eternal Word of God?

Remember what Jesus' concept of great faith was: to just believe Him that He is faithful to do what He has promised to do in our lives

Smith Wigglesworth, the great Apostle of Faith would have been best remembered for a song he made popular during his time of ministry,

Only believe, Only believe
All things are possible, Only believe

Another well known hymn we love to sing would have been this:

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
And to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus says the Lord!”

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!

(Louisa M.R. Stead, 1882)

As we draw nearer to the Coming of the Lord, let us keep walking by faith as the centurion did, crying out "Lord I choose to believe You, just only speak a word!"