May 24, 2024 Devo

May 24th, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
Jesus & the Roman Soldier’s Servant
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!” – Matthew 8:10 (NLT)
“I Want to Amaze Jesus”

“When Jesus heard this, he was amazed.” That sentence jumped out at me today when I read this. There are several times in the Gospels when you’ll read about how the people were amazed by Jesus. They were amazed by His power to heal. They were amazed by the authority with which He spoke. They were amazed by His teachings which were so unique from what they’d heard. But there weren’t many times when you read that Jesus was amazed. This was one of them.
The sentence pushed me to ask a penetrating question. When was the last time that I amazed God? When was the last time I amazed Him with my faith? A time when I believed in Him so confidently and trusted Him so fully that I was completely at rest in my certainty that He was going to take care of my need? I know I’ve exercised faith before. But have I ever amazed Him with my faith?
When was the last time I amazed God with my worship? A time when I was so completely locked in on HIM that I was oblivious to the other worshippers around me. A time when the gratitude within me was bursting to get out and the words came, not from my vocal cords, but from the deepest part of my soul. I’m in church all the time. But I wonder when was the last time that I amazed God with my worship?
When was the last time I amazed God with my obedience? A time when I didn’t second guess His leading. A time when I didn’t stop to wonder what following Him was going to cost me. A time when He simply spoke and I went. I’ve obeyed God many times. But I wonder when the last time was that He was amazed by my obedience.
I found myself a bit jealous of the Roman soldier today. When I read how he amazed Jesus it touched my heart. My God has done SO MUCH for me. He has blessed me beyond what I will ever deserve or could ever repay. I have bathed in His Grace and been freed by His Deliverance. I don’t want to live out my life just being pleasing to Him. I don’t want to JUST have faith, or JUST worship Him, or JUST be obedient. Somewhere on this journey, I want to do something more. I want to AMAZE Jesus. Who’s with me? That’s God’s Word for you today.