September 20: Luke 7:1-10
 
Key Verse: Luke 7:8
For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, “Go”, and he goes; and that one, “Come”, and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this”, and he does it.’
 
Devotion:
If you have ever been in a place where authority rules, you will relate to this verse. When the boss person says jump, everyone jumps... It’s not a side of our relationship we normally think about or see because this sort of authority is so often linked to some sort of dictatorship; but what we should never underestimate is the authority Christ has over everything!
 
The centurion was used to giving orders and having people jump into action and He knew Christ had ultimate authority over life and death. His reaction was to plead with Jesus to come and heal his servant, but he did not feel like he was worthy to come and ask this personally from Jesus; so, he sent servants instead.
 
All this must seem alien to people who have never been in a place like the army or who have never had servants themselves. We like to think of ourselves as being equal in society – though judging by recent riots and protests, this is very far from the truth! This is certainly not the way Jesus wants us to live and will not help us to make a friend out of Jesus whilst we harbour these attitudes...
 
Even though we are doing so many things wrong in our lives, Jesus is still willing to listen and to come and help us when we call. He is not going to turn us away just because we have been bad in the past. What He is looking at is your heart right now and what it is you desire in your heart. Forget about the worldly wants and try to focus on the love Christ wants us to share with our community...
 
Points to Ponder:
Who is in charge of your life?
 
Will you submit to Jesus’ call and obey His will?