“My Lord and my God!” Thomas said. John 20:28
It’s hard to have faith in God. Most people believe that Christians have it all figured out. The life of a Christ follower sometimes is filled with doubt, and sometimes we have more questions than answers. We believe in God, but if we are honest, sometimes we wonder if God is really working in our lives. None of these are deal breakers in our faith.
Thomas, one of the disciples, struggled with believing in the resurrection of Jesus. He wanted physical proof. The other disciples had seen the resurrected Jesus. Thomas had not. He said to the other disciples after hearing their story, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). A week later, Jesus showed up. Thomas had his proof, and Jesus replied to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29).
You have never seen God. Right? You’ve never touched the holes in the hands of Jesus. Right? So why should you believe in Him? These are questions atheists may ask when they look at the Christian faith. We know, however, that there are many things that we cannot touch or see that still exist. The wind still moves the trees, but we can’t see it. Natural gas runs our stoves and heaters, but we can’t see it. So the truth is that while you can’t see God, you can still see His fingerprints on the world.
Until someone is willing to open their heart to God, they will never see Him. Call it self-imposed blindness. Often their wounds are deep. They have experienced pain and hurt that prohibits them from seeing God moving in their lives. Everyone reacts differently to life’s roadblocks. Some move past them with God’s help; others dwell at the detour and never move forward. The best way for us to help those who struggle with the existence of God is to live as if He does exist.
How does your life show others to Jesus? Like the wind, most people don’t see a physical sign that we are Christians unless we wear obscene amounts of t-shirts with cheesy Christian sayings. Instead of investing in Christian clothing, we should invest in the lives around us. Let’s change the landscape of our neighborhoods. Be kind to those who don’t deserve it.
People don’t care which church you attend or what version of the Bible you read. Instead, they will care what you do. They will listen to the message of Jesus when you live like Him. Why? Because they will be able to see Him in your life. You’re a living testimony to God’s existence.
John 20:24-31 (NLT)
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
©2024 Sagebrush Church
