Then {Jesus} said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
--John 20:27
Doubt is a natural disease of the human condition. And perhaps the person who epitomizes doubt most is Thomas.
Poor doubting Thomas has been stuck with his nickname because he said he would not believe that Jesus had been raised from the dead unless he personally saw Christ…and put his hands in the scars in Jesus’ hands and side.
Thomas was convinced this was something he would never do! But good thing for Thomas, he got what he asked for!
Unfortunately, there are millions of doubters just like him in the world today who think they can never be sure about Jesus because they weren’t there to see and touch Him. Yet, there is just as much proof for the resurrection of Christ as there is for any other event in history.
While we might not be able to physically sit by Jesus’ side and touch His nailed-scarred hands and His wounded side, we can know with certainty that Jesus rose from the dead, just as God’s Word said He did. My friend, Jesus is alive today! That is something you can bank on!
Many of the people who doubt Him today only do so because of misconceptions about the nature of faith, or because doubt is all they’ve ever known. But Jesus Christ can make even the strongest cynic fall on their face and confess with Thomas, “My Lord and my God!”
Thank God today for the reality of Christ’s resurrection…and proclaim to Him today, “my Lord and my God!”
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Luke 13:34–35
During his large evangelistic campaign in England in 1875, D. L. Moody preached a number of messages in London. In a sermon on why men reject God, Moody said, “Let any man get an invitation from Queen Victoria to go down to Windsor Castle, to some banquet; and there is not a man but would consider it a great honor to receive such an invitation. But only think of the invitation that I bring tonight! It comes from the King of kings. The marriage supper of the Lamb is going to take place, and God wants every man in this assembly to be present. I have missed a good many appointments in my time, but, by the grace of God, I mean to make sure of keeping that one.”
The description Jesus gave to Jerusalem is one of the saddest epitaphs ever recorded: “Ye would not.” The offer of salvation was presented by the Messiah Himself, yet the great majority of people refused to accept the invitation. They were looking for something other than what Jesus offered, and missed the greatest opportunity any person ever has. Rather than being sheltered and cared for by God Himself, the city and the people were eventually destroyed. All of God's invitations carry the weight of a royal command that cannot be disobeyed without consequence. And most of them come with a time limit. Though He is patient and long-suffering, He will not wait forever for us to respond.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Opportunities that God presents to us must be seized while the door is still open.
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment