THE RESURRECTED LIFE -- Day 14

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Day 14:  The Remarkable Faith of a Centurion (Luke 7: 1-10)

The heart of the centurion was breaking.  How faithfully his slave had served him.  Never once had his servant disrespected him.  If the truth were known, the centurion loved him like a son.  Truly, he would never again have a servant as lovingly obedient as this one, and now his life was in grave danger.  His body lay motionless, and he was tormented by his paralysis.  “Oh, please spare him,” the centurion cried out as his tears fell silently to the floor.

Not many days later, the centurion, a Roman military man, heard about Jesus.  No one seemed to know how He healed people, only that He had some supernatural authority over diseases and even death.  So he sent some Jewish elders to find this Jesus, the ones he had befriended when he built them a synagogue.  He stayed behind to care for his servant.  Besides, he couldn’t bring ­­this Jewish man to Jesus because he was a Gentile.  He felt completely unworthy to come to Him.

The Jewish elders who had great respect for the centurion sought to find Jesus.  When they found Him, they pleaded with Him earnestly to come with them to heal their friend’s slave.

Jesus obliged and started out with them, but when they were very close to his house, they were stopped by some other friends of the centurion.

Jesus was surprised, and He marveled at the message sent by the centurion.   This man was completely humbled in his words, even though he was a man with great authority.  This kind of humility was refreshing to Jesus!  This Gentile centurion seemed to know that only a word spoken by Jesus would have the same authority to heal his servant as Jesus coming in person.  Amazing!  These comments revealed not only his great wisdom, but his great faith as well.  As a result of such faith, the centurion’s servant was completely healed in that very moment.

Do you believe that Jesus has been given all authority over heaven and earth?  If you do, does He have all authority over you?  Can you call Him your LORD if He doesn’t?  Does His Word have power over you and your life?  Do you obey His commands found in the Word?

THE RESURRECTED LIFE -- Day 9

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Day 9:  Lazarus (John 11: 1-46)

Lazarus was dead.  Now nothing could be done.  “Why had the Master not come?” Mary and Martha questioned in the depths of their grief.  They knew for sure that He could have healed their dear brother.  Why, oh why, had He not come?

Four days after the burial of Lazarus, his sisters heard that Jesus was just a short distance away.  Martha ran to meet Him immediately, and later Mary did as well.  Feeling great compassion for their overwhelming sorrow, Jesus Himself began to weep with them.

Wanting to see where they had buried Lazarus, Jesus asked to be taken there.  Seeing that a stone covered the opening, Jesus asked the men there to remove it.  Such a strange request! Surely there would be a great odor by now.  Yet the men complied, and with a great shout, Jesus yelled, “Lazarus!  Come forth!”  For a moment nothing happened, but then what looked like a mummy stood at the opening.  Lazarus, wrapped in burial linens from head to toe, was standing before the crowd—ALIVE!

Why had these precious friends of Jesus been put through such an agonizing set of circumstances?  If Jesus knew that He would raise Lazarus from the dead, why didn’t He just heal him to begin with?

Often Jesus allows us to experience painful events in order to bring glory to Himself through us.  Sometimes He allows our faith to be tested, and at the same time, brings others to a new level of faith because they are watching God work in us.  God was glorified when He brought Lazarus back to life.  He and his sisters also would return all the glory back to God because they were believers in Him.  Glory came to God when Martha and Mary’s faith was tested and strengthened by this trial, for they had never seen someone be raised from the dead; healed, yes, but not raised to life.  Now they knew Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life!  Their faith was tested, but some of the witnesses of Lazarus’ resurrection believed in Jesus, and came to faith, for the first time. 

Have you considered your trials a way for God to be glorified?  Are you growing in the tests?  Can others clearly see Jesus through your faith?