Jones: Would Christ commend our faith?
By Lynn Jones
Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” All of us enjoy compliments. Of course, when people compliment us, it is possible that they are bad judges. Or, they may have ulterior motives.
But when Jesus compliments someone, you know that it is sincere. His motives are pure. He is the perfect judge of character.
In Luke 7:1-10, there is the account of a Roman centurion in Capernaum who heard that Jesus had entered the town. The centurion sent friends to ask Jesus to come to his house to heal his servant who was deathly ill. Jesus agreed to do so, but before He reached the house, the centurion sent other friends to Jesus with this message: “‘Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.’ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel’” vv. 6-7, 9).
I wonder what Jesus would say about our faith? How much do you trust Him? How deeply do you believe in Him?
For instance, when you read His promise that His grace is sufficient for you, are you willing to believe that? When you hear Him say, “I am with you always,” do you have faith to claim that promise? When you have troubles, or someone you love is facing a crisis, do you have faith in Him at such a moment? When He challenges you to take a step on nothing but faith, are you willing to do it? Would He be amazed at your faith, or would He be amazed at your lack of faith?
Henri Nouwen had some friends who were trapeze artists called the Flying Roudellas. These friends told Nouwen that there’s a special relationship between the flyer and the catcher on the trapeze. The flyer is the one that lets go, and the catcher is the one that catches. As the flyer swings high above the crowd on the trapeze, the moment comes when he must let go. He arcs out into the air. His job is to remain as still as possible and wait for the strong hands of the catcher to pluck him from the air.
One of these friends told Nouwen, “The flyer must never try to catch the catcher.” The flyer must wait in absolute trust for the catcher to catch him!”
Do you have that kind of trust in God? If so, there is no limit to what God can do in your life. It is the thing that He looks for and longs for in your life. As you develop that kind of faith, then you can become the disciple whom Christ commends!
Lynn Jones is a retired pastor who lives in Oxford. He does supply preaching for churches in his area and often serves as an interim pastor. Jones is also an author, has written two books and writes a weekly newspaper column. He may be contacted at: kljones45@yahoo.com.
