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IS THERE ROOM FOR FAITH? Matthew 8: 5-13 "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." Amazing! This Gentile soldier was now exhibiting more faith in the power of God than Jesus had seen in all of His own people! This man had more room for God than anyone else around! But that isn't all—Jesus went on, "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." This is quite a warning—some who think they are "in", will actually find that, in the end, they are on the outside. Why? While they had a profession, and even a heritage, they did not really have room for the Lord of Glory. We may actually be excluded from what God wants to do by adhering to our own selfish human nature, when we should be letting Christ live and reign in us, giving Him all of the room He wants—all of it! God's redemptive provision is as believable today as it was in the days when Jesus walked the earth. And it has always been available to all that will get honest with God. Sickness, disease, and death are all direct consequences of the fall of man, but God created us to be His people, to have a relationship with Him, and to love and worship only Him! His call has always been to take on His nature, and this happens as we allow Him to dwell in us, and us in Him. The tragedy comes in that we often don't make the room for Him, holding on to what we want to be and be about. Faith in Jesus Christ is both a single moment and a continuing life—both of which are made available through the Cross. Faith involves our believing that we can do nothing to earn it, but that Christ can do all things—and all through trusting in the crucified and risen Christ—His ability and not ours. True surrender will produce salvation, and true salvation will yield obedience—this is the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Clear everything else out—all of your own ideas, plans, and desires, and make room for faith. Have faith and believe—Christ is all in all; let Him be that in you! Love, in the Father, ~ Nancy Faust
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