Carolyn-Coming in Faith #2

Our good friend, Carolyn Hinkle, wanted us to share with you some of her thoughts on coming to the Lord in faith.
She points us to Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Today, she views faith through the eyes of “the Centurion,” as she writes…
For the most part, life in Capernaum was uneventful. Once in awhile the Jews would get all stirred up by some Zealot claiming to be the Messiah, and I would be forced to call out my soldiers to break up the crowds…but nothing really big ever happened. We were right on the coast of the Sea of Galilee and fishing was the big thing. My duties as the Centurion in such a quiet setting were easily done. Even though I was the ranking Roman officer in that town, I had plenty of time to go off by myself, find a quiet spot, and watch the waves come and go.
When I first learned that I was going to be stationed in Capernaum in Israel, I felt as if I were being banished to the back-side of nowhere. My rise to rank of Centurion was not going to be the in-road to Roman society for which I had originally hoped.
After a few years in Capernaum, I really began to be thankful for my assignment. I had come to know many of the Jews in that area and come to have a deep respect for a few of them. Having grown up in a military family, I had been taught from an early age the characteristics of integrity, authority balanced with humility, and a disciplined mind were essential to good leadership. Some of my Jewish friends held these characteristics valuable also, although for different reasons, and I loved to debate with them the cultural differences between being “a good Roman soldier” and being a “man of God.” It was in this manner that I became well-versed in their many “do’s” and “don’ts.”
My friends began telling me about a man called Jesus from Nazareth who had been visiting Capernaum. Some called him a teacher and were amazed at the things he had been saying. Some of the men in our town had even given up their jobs, homes, and families just to follow him around and listen to his teachings. I thought all of this was just cerebral exercise until I heard that Simon (later called Peter) was one of these men, and no one would ever accuse Simon of being cerebral!
Intrigued by what I was hearing, I asked my friends to keep me informed of all they learned. The more I heard about this man and what he was saying, the more I was convinced this was no ordinary man, no flash in the pan zealot. This man had a depth of character that I had never seen before. His words rang true. His actions followed. He did what he said he would do. He spoke with unusual authority, yet was totally lacking in arrogance, and was disciplined in all that he did. Not only that, but he cared for the men who were following him, providing for all their needs, just like I believed a good Roman soldier should. My respect grew.
It happened that one of my loyal servants was struck with the palsy and in much pain about the same time that Jesus was paying another visit to Capernaum. I knew that if I told Jesus my servant was ill, he would immediately understand the situation, and he did, offering right then and there to go to my servant and heal him. My esteem rose to record heights and I was truly humbled. There was no way my home was worthy to receive one with such greatness of character.
Since he had no way to know who I was, I let him know that I not only understood authority but also recognized his authority and suggested to him that he just say the word and my servant would be healed.
I was a little embarrassed when Jesus began to compliment me on my faith.
To me, it wasn’t faith. It was just good sense, based on this man’s revealed character.

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