PJP2 THANKS - 161111 - THANKS Focus: Matthew 8:5-12........WARRIOR - Psalm 18:49 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."For This I Will Praise You, O Lord, among the nations, And Sing To Your Name.".... PJP2 THANKS TEXT - 161111 - WARRIOR - Matthew 8:5-13 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj).... "When He had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to Him, appealing to Him, 'Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.' And He Said to him, 'I Will Come And Heal him.' BUT the centurion replied, 'Lord, I am not worthy to have You Come under my roof, BUT Only Say The WORD, and my servant Will Be Healed. For I too am a man Under Authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.' When Jesus Heard this, He Marveled and Said to those who Followed Him, 'Truly, I Tell you, with no one in Israel Have I Found Such FAITH. I Tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' And to the centurion Jesus Said, 'Go; Let It Be Done for you as you Have Believed.' And the servant Was Healed At That Very Moment."..... I am so very Thankful for this Story. As a soldier, I so gravitate to The Centurion. I am Thankful His Holy Spirit Shares with us that The Bottom-Line/Up-Front.....Belief/Faith is The Centurion's Key. I could go on/on with regards to The Miracle of a Roman Centurion, who had sworn both allegiance, as well as 'belief' in the Emperor being 'a god'. I could continue with how a Roman Centurion had not risen to that rank without him having proven, both in combat and in 'performance' that he was worthy to command. Oh, and then there's the fact that Rome's Army was there as the 'enforcers' of Pax Romana, so they were frequently viewed as the 'oppressors' of the Holy Lands. Therein lies a Story to be Thankful for in and of itself. BUT, that's another PJP2 for another day. My Thanks today is focused on The Centurion's FAITH and our Lord Jesus' Responding to this brave soldier's plea for help. My Prayer of Thanks for us today would be, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You for Your Grace. Lord Jesus, Help us to Have The Courage, as You Have Shared with us, to Ask You For Help. Holy Spirit, Encourage and Inspire us to Reflect The Centurion's Faith in You and Your Power. We Thank You, Lord, for we Know You Can Do All things! Father God, may we as well Raise You Up As The One and Only to Whom we must Turn for our Salvation. We Love You and Praise You. Lord Jesus, we Lift UP our Prayers and Thanks in Your Holy Name....Amen and Amen....jaj