Blessings of Belief

Sometime after the resurrection…

That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”  Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at 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 believe without seeing me.” John 20:19-29

Blessed – happy, spiritually secure and favored by God.

Beloved, Jesus did not condemn Thomas and neither does He condemn us, for if we are honest with ourselves, we are Thomas. How many times have we been flooded with doubt?

For us, in those moments when we are flooded with doubt we must make a choice and bring them to the Father because if left untouched by His loving hands our doubt can quickly lead to discouragement which then leads to a loss of hope.

Perhaps today is the day that God is calling us to turn away from unbelief and see Him for who He truly is. Perhaps today is the day you take in ALL the promises written in His Word and believe them for your life. When Jesus entered the room, He entered speaking PEACE. Today, go before God and ask for His peace to cover you. If there is any area in your life that you are struggling to believe Him for, ask Him to help you believe again. He will.

Jesus beckoned Thomas in love to believe that it was Him. Did you catch that? It was love, not condemnation. That same love is beckoning you today to lay all unbelief at His feet and let Him fill you with joy, peace, and hope. Cast your eyes not on the circumstances of your life but on the One who holds your life in His hands.

“…Anything is possible if a person believes.” Mark 9:23

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” John 14:1

© Sharon Pankey 2019