31/03/2025
MONDAY, 31ST MARCH
YOU DEFINITELY HAVE TO KNOW THIS ABOUT FAITH (PART 3)
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3
We continue with our study on faith and its measurements. We have understood from the previous studies that God has dealt to every man the measure of faith and that at the instance of our new birth we are all given the same measure of faith. But this measure needs to grow and strengthened and used to overcome the rebellious situations of life. We also understood what little faith is as being that faith which cannot be sustained to deliver unto one his expectations. A person with little faith might start of on a promising note and it would appear that he is set to obtain what he desires but in the midst of challenges, he let go of that word which got him going in the first place and which has brought him that far. And an example was given about Peter’s walk on the sea and how he later began to sink after doubting the word that got him going in the first place.
In today’s study we shall have a look at the second measure of faith according to our Lord Jesus. If there is little faith, then there must of course be great faith also. And this is rightly so because Jesus talked about it. Mathew gives us the truth of this in his epistle thus, “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.
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. Matthew 8:5-10
As we can see from the narrative, it was the Lord Jesus who classified the faith of the centurion as great faith. The man told Jesus of the sickness of his servant and Jesus reply was that He would come and heal him. This reply would have made any ecstatic and leap for joy; that Jesus was coming to your house, Oh my! But that was not the case of the centurion: rather he told Jesus that he did not need to come to his house for he understood authority as he was a man of it and whenever he gives instruction, it is carried out the same instant. He therefore asked Jesus to speak a word only and his servant would be whole. This man was settled in knowledge and truth that once Jesus spoke as the man of authority that he was, a miracle would happen.
In this we see what great faith is. It is that faith that is based on settled truth and the bearer therefore only has his focus on the word of God and the Lord’s integrity to perform what He has said. To such, God cannot break His word and therefore they hold on dearly unto either what the Lord has said unto them personally or what has been revealed unto them from his word. Such was the man Simon unto whom it was revealed that he should not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. He lived for as long as was necessary and on the day he saw the child Jesus, he said Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Luke 2:29, 30. This man clearly held on to that word until he saw it fulfilled because he had faith in it and was now requesting that he dies. Beloved, great faith is a great virtue to have; the bearer is set to see the word he has faith in fulfilled, be guided by this; shalom!
Assignment
For further studies read Matthew 15:21-28