Faith

Luke 18:8 (NASB) ........when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
This question that Jesus asked inspires us to consider more questions.  What does Jesus mean by the word "faith"?  What is faith to us?  What do we mean when we say we need more faith?  Jesus spoke of "little faith".  There are many times that Jesus spoke of faith but two stand out in my mind. 
Mathew 6:30 (NIV) If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Matthew 8:10 (NIV) When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."

Our focus--what we keep before us--makes a big difference in our lives.  What we wear, where we live, where we earn a living, where we went to school, what we like and what we dislike, and the list goes on and on, shapes our focus.  This realm has a culture that shapes our focus.  But what causes us anxiety and what we are willing to sacrifice to gain are two things that really define our focus.  Do all the things that are happening around you cause you to consider God and His Word or do these things fill your thoughts and you do not even think of God when you consider them?  The answer to these questions will help you to determine your focus.  The Centurion considered his own position with his responsibilities and what he knew of Jesus, and went to Jesus to heal his servant.  He did not just go to Jesus because he heard that Jesus healed and hoped He would heal his servant.  He considered what his own authority meant and knew that Jesus had to have authority behind Him.  He had faith in authority.

You have to have faith in something.  You have faith in electricity, in cars, in newspapers, in schooling, in your work and in your self.  If you did not have faith in these things you would live in constant hesitation and withdrawal.  When something does not work, it is a "surprise" and you have to figure out what went wrong.  We do not know how the Centurion heard of Jesus.  We do know a Centurion had the responsibility of 100 men and that he answered to Caesar.  The authority of Caesar was the authority in which he acted.  His men knew he had the authority to command them.  The Centurion knew Jesus had to have authority behind Him and that He had the authority to command the disease to leave his servant.  This was the "faith" that Jesus recognized.

When we lay hands on the sick, we know we have the authority to do so for Jesus gave the command to do so at the same time He said, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.." (Matthew 18:20).  Paul considered himself a bondslave of Jesus Christ.  All he did was under the authority of His Master.  When we live in connection with the One who promised He would never leave us, we live in the faith of the Son of God.  Faith is trust in the One who never fails.