"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."
Matthew 8:13
I like the idea here that the strength of our belief matters a lot in terms of what happens to us. This centurion asked for his servant to be healed, and Christ offered to come and heal him... but the centurion told him there was no need. He knew that if Christ just spoke the words, that it would be done. And according to his belief, his servant was healed. And, just in case we are thinking this only works for the centurion, or only worked during Christ's mortal ministry, in D&C 52:20 it tells us, of our day, "according to men’s faith it shall be done unto them."
This is a powerful idea, and we might start thinking pretty big about wish fulfillment. And in a small way, it is like that... but remember the part about Christ saying the word. The wishes that get fulfilled are always with God's approval. If we are on the same page with God and we want the same things, then we'll keep getting what we want. :) But unfortunately, our wills and God's will are often different. Even Christ wanted his cup to pass from him. That wish wasn't granted. And we don't always get what we want either... so how can we have faith in things when we don't know if they will happen or not? I think the principle here is to have faith that God can do it. The centurion believed that God could heal his servant... but did that automatically make it happen? No. He had to make the effort to seek God out, talk to him, and get his approval and his word. And we have to do the same. Our wishes aren't granted because of our own power or our own belief... they are granted by God's power, and through our faith and belief in *him.*
Some things that we can do to increase our faith and belief are things that this centurion did. He learned of Jesus Christ. He knew of his doings... he knew where to go to plead for his servant's life. He sought him out. He talked to him, and asked for what he stood in need of. He expressed his desires, and he was humble. He didn't demand anything... he just knew that God could do it, and he asked for it. The things that he did are within the power of all of us, no matter how weak. God isn't always going to say yes to us, but the more we learn of him and the more we understand his goals for us and for this world, the easier it will be for us to be on the same page with God, and understand what he will grant us. The more we talk to him and get to know him, the more we'll grow, and hopefully the more we'll want to emulate him.
Today, let's work on being as faithful as this centurion, and ask God for the things that we are in need of, and listen to his answer and further advice. :)
Matthew 8:13
I like the idea here that the strength of our belief matters a lot in terms of what happens to us. This centurion asked for his servant to be healed, and Christ offered to come and heal him... but the centurion told him there was no need. He knew that if Christ just spoke the words, that it would be done. And according to his belief, his servant was healed. And, just in case we are thinking this only works for the centurion, or only worked during Christ's mortal ministry, in D&C 52:20 it tells us, of our day, "according to men’s faith it shall be done unto them."
This is a powerful idea, and we might start thinking pretty big about wish fulfillment. And in a small way, it is like that... but remember the part about Christ saying the word. The wishes that get fulfilled are always with God's approval. If we are on the same page with God and we want the same things, then we'll keep getting what we want. :) But unfortunately, our wills and God's will are often different. Even Christ wanted his cup to pass from him. That wish wasn't granted. And we don't always get what we want either... so how can we have faith in things when we don't know if they will happen or not? I think the principle here is to have faith that God can do it. The centurion believed that God could heal his servant... but did that automatically make it happen? No. He had to make the effort to seek God out, talk to him, and get his approval and his word. And we have to do the same. Our wishes aren't granted because of our own power or our own belief... they are granted by God's power, and through our faith and belief in *him.*
Some things that we can do to increase our faith and belief are things that this centurion did. He learned of Jesus Christ. He knew of his doings... he knew where to go to plead for his servant's life. He sought him out. He talked to him, and asked for what he stood in need of. He expressed his desires, and he was humble. He didn't demand anything... he just knew that God could do it, and he asked for it. The things that he did are within the power of all of us, no matter how weak. God isn't always going to say yes to us, but the more we learn of him and the more we understand his goals for us and for this world, the easier it will be for us to be on the same page with God, and understand what he will grant us. The more we talk to him and get to know him, the more we'll grow, and hopefully the more we'll want to emulate him.
Today, let's work on being as faithful as this centurion, and ask God for the things that we are in need of, and listen to his answer and further advice. :)
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