Day 8 of One Prayer begins NOW! Please be following along on your one prayer calendar. If you don’t have one you can get one HERE.
Matthew 8: God is a REWARDER!
MAN. I read this chapter and didn’t even know where to begin. I mean, Jesus heals a man with leprosy, the centurions servant, Peter’s mother in law, He calms the storm. What do you pick? When I read the chapter I was actually reminded of something else in Scripture about God that I think is worth noting.
I LOVE what Jesus says in two places here. The theme of this chapter is faith.
A man with leprosy comes comes to Jesus and says “Lord, if you’re willing…” and Jesus in v. 8:3 says Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
The Roman Centurion comes to Jesus with GREAT faith and asks Jesus to heal his servant and Jesus says in vs. 10 & 13 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! 13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” Imagine Jesus saying that about you. “I’ve never seen faith like that.” WOW!
Then while in the middle of the storm, Jesus just calms it. And He says this in v. 26 26 Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The first two times He heals ON faith and this time He is rebuking for little faith. The point is Jesus is emphasizing FAITH.
Now to what it reminded me of. Faith is the KEY in our relationship to God. It drives EVERYTHING, AND it reveals something about God. That He is a rewarder. Hebrews 11:6 says 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists AND that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (emphasis added)
Believing that God exists is the basic rung of faith. Sincerely seeking Him is the kind of faith that God is looking for. How many times did Jesus say “because of your faith”? Or “Your faith has made…”? Or “If you have faith”? TONS. The result? God is a rewarder of those who have faith IN and dilligently SEEK Him.
Where are you lacking faith in your life? What storms are you not believing God to work through in your life? Where are you struggling to seek God? In what ways are you keeping yoursself from knowing God as a REWARDER?
Working on faith,
Jeff
