Weekly Encouragement
John 20:29 "Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"
Jesus is addressing Thomas here. Thomas got the blessing to be able to see and feel the wounds in Jesus. He realized that Jesus truly is the Savior of the world. What a GREAT blessing to experience!!
Then there is us. We don't get to see and feel. We have to trust by faith in what Jesus said He did. We have to trust by faith in the text laid before us by common men. Granted, these men saw FIRST HAND the glory of God. They wrote what they saw. God inspired them with exactly what parts of each story were important because He knew we would have doubts. He knew we couldn't fully understand.
I wonder if that is why Jesus says, 'blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'? He knows it is hard. No magic hocus pocus here. Jesus isn't coming back to show us UNTIL God sends Him back to bring us home. Now, we DO have the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit to help us step by step. He is our HELPER (John 16:5-16).
Often, we feel like our lives are just so tough because "if we could only see". We are so similar to Thomas. Seriously! Sure, he was there as Jesus walked the earth. He remained by His side for years. But....uhm...Thomas was aware of Jesus' death. He was aware that although Jesus can bring back the dead, it is a whole new deal to bring back yourself. It...uhm...hadn't been done before.
SO---we actually have similar information that he had. Jesus' words. He told us it would be so and it is. The Old Testament speaks of it. The disciples shared the same memories. History itself can not deny Jesus Christ.
So, next time you wonder why you have it so bad because you can't "literally" see Jesus, remember, He actually calls you blessed. He knows it is hard. He knows trusting in what you can not physically see is difficult. But there is proof my friend. This is a common statement, but come on "I believe in George Washington even though I never saw him". I believe in Jesus. There is just as much proof that He is real and remains as there is in good old George. One exception. Okay...one HUGE exception (among others)...Jesus died and rose again for me. I think I am more concerned with the history of Jesus because of what that means for my life, as opposed to our first president.
Taking Up His Cross
Clinging To His Love,
David Boncler
FREEDOM WEEK 4 this week! Going to look into WORSHIP!!! Spread the Word...see you there!
SENIORS--get that recognition info in. We want to share your achievement with the rest of the church on May 18th.
YOUTH INTERNS...we need your Wed. night ideas soon.
YOUTH CAMP!!!!---It is coming. Tell your friends. Get on the list before the end of May for only $250. After that, the cost is $275. Student Life Camp changes lives....let's see what God does with yours!
