Believe

“Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!' 'My Lord and my God!' Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, 'You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway.'"  John 20:27-29

"You won't believe your eyes!" shouts the carny. "Come see the three-headed chicken!" ... The emcee calls out, "Do you believe?" and then asks for quiet as the master illusionist attempts to perform the "impossible". With a bang and a flash of smoke, the elephant is gone. The crowd cheers. ... What we believe or not believe is the primary course setter for our lives.   

Jesus continually called people to believe in him. In the verses for the day, he made an intentional decision to challenge Thomas to believe. He told Thomas to look and touch. He did. He believed. Seeing was believing for Thomas. Jesus promised a special blessing upon all those who would believe even without seeing.

What do we believe? Why do we believe it? Thomas wanted indisputable visual evidence of the resurrection. Jesus chose to provide it for him. Thomas believed and his life was never the same. What about us? Do our lives reveal that we are living under the special blessing given those who believe without sight?

Grace and Peace,

Tom Wiles
tom@fallcreekchristian.org

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