John 20:28-29
Thomas said, "My Master! My God!" Jesus said, "So, you believe because you've seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing."
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Timothy loves to look at the moon. Ever since he first learned to say the word “moon” and realized that the yellow orb in his storybooks was the same moon we see in the sky, he has been mesmerized. He loves to go outside in “the dawk”, as he calls it, and look for the moon. On clear nights when the moon is readily visible, he will point and squeal, “There it is!” But on cloudy nights – or the days of the month when the moon rises during daylight hours – he has a hard time accepting that the moon is truly there. For a long time, he believed only because he had seen with his own eyes. As he grows and becomes able to understand more high-level concepts, he is learning to accept that the moon is still there, even when we cannot see it.
I believe that of the greatest milestones in our growth as a Christian is when we fully begin to accept God in the form of His only Son, Jesus, and to believe in all that He can accomplish in and through us, purely on faith. Certainly none of us has ever physically seen Jesus in human form. We weren’t here for His birth, death, or resurrection. But as surely as we know the moon is still in the sky, we should know that Jesus is real.
This is a hard concept for so many. How can we be so sure that Jesus exists if we’ve never seen Him? How can we be certain that He will usher us into His presence in Heaven someday? How can we know that He is working on our behalf? All of these questions can be difficult to answer, unless we are growing in our own relationship with Jesus on a daily basis.
I can tell you from firsthand experience that these questions are easier for me to answer today than they were yesterday – and next week the answers will come even more quickly. As I allow God to work in my life each and every day… as I open my eyes and ears to the countless ways He is orchestrating every breath I take and all of the circumstances that make up my existence… my “proof” is strengthened as my faith increases.
I can cite example after example where I know for a fact that God had His hand on me and a specific situation. I can say with certainty that the only way things could have happened as they did is because God was in control. I can give skeptics dozens of instances where there is no question that God did what mere man could not… fixed things I could never fix on my own… opened doors… healed and restored… and blessed abundantly!
I like to think that I am living proof that God exists… because He has brought me to this place in my life despite everything I have done to try and screw it up! And if you don’t believe MY testimony, I have Christian brothers and sisters who will be happy to share their own. I’ve seen God do some incredible things… yet I have never physically seen Him in the flesh. And I like what Jesus said in this passage…even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing! That sounds pretty good to me!
What about you? Do you believe? Have you “seen” the evidence of Jesus Christ in and around your own life? Are you paying attention… watching and listening for Him? Are you reaping the blessings of believing without seeing? Isn’t it time you did?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label Jesus is real. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus is real. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for October 22, 2011
October 22 ~ John 14:8-14
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need." Jesus replied: Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don't you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? Don't you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn't said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things.
Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do. I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father. Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. I will do whatever you ask me to do.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Time means nothing to a toddler. Explaining to Timothy that “I will come and get you in two ‘night-nights’” doesn’t mean a thing to him. He now recognizes our voices on the telephone, but the nebulous concept that we are at our own home and not physically in his presence is almost too much for him. But take him out for a ride and drive past certain intersections, and he knows that this corner is where you turn to go to our house… or that building is where his great-great grandmother lives… or this is the street on which we turn to go to his daycare! He has seen those places… he is familiar with them. And I assure you, if you turn left when he wants to turn right, he will let you know about it!
Gosh… getting the concept of WHO Jesus really is boggles our minds, doesn’t it? For so many, the pervading question is… “But how do you KNOW He is real?” What makes us so sure that Jesus is doing all of the wonderful things in our lives, rescuing us when we are in need, healing us and keeping us steeped in blessings? Couldn’t it simply be good luck or “fate?” And I will admit… this has been a hard question for me to answer at times… at least in a manner I felt was convincing.
I will have to say, by allowing me to go through some pretty big challenges, Jesus has shown me WHO He really is. By allowing my faith to be tested… and delivering BIG TIME on His promises, I have become one of His major cheerleaders! I won’t say that I don’t ever get down or feel overwhelmed, because I do… more often than I care to admit! But I know Who has my back. I know what God can do… because I have seen Him do it! I know that more times than I can count, I have crept back with my head down in embarrassment that I allowed my faith to waver so much… and God delivered and blessed me anyway.
I’ve seen God use “little ole me” in ways I didn’t think were possible. I’ve felt the blessings of showing up at the right time with the right message… and knowing beyond a doubt that I had absolutely nothing to do with it!
Look around. Evidence of just how real God is can be seen in abundance! If you don’t see Jesus in people and places everywhere you look, you’re probably hanging with the wrong crowd… and your communication with God could use a little spit and polish! Ask Jesus to forgive your doubts and fill you with courage and confidence. Take everything to Him… your joys, sorrows, trials, and triumphs… and let Him sort them and work in and through you. Then step back and be amazed at how much He can do with the least of us. I know I am!
©2011 Debbie Robus
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need." Jesus replied: Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don't you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? Don't you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn't said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things.
Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do. I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father. Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. I will do whatever you ask me to do.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Time means nothing to a toddler. Explaining to Timothy that “I will come and get you in two ‘night-nights’” doesn’t mean a thing to him. He now recognizes our voices on the telephone, but the nebulous concept that we are at our own home and not physically in his presence is almost too much for him. But take him out for a ride and drive past certain intersections, and he knows that this corner is where you turn to go to our house… or that building is where his great-great grandmother lives… or this is the street on which we turn to go to his daycare! He has seen those places… he is familiar with them. And I assure you, if you turn left when he wants to turn right, he will let you know about it!
Gosh… getting the concept of WHO Jesus really is boggles our minds, doesn’t it? For so many, the pervading question is… “But how do you KNOW He is real?” What makes us so sure that Jesus is doing all of the wonderful things in our lives, rescuing us when we are in need, healing us and keeping us steeped in blessings? Couldn’t it simply be good luck or “fate?” And I will admit… this has been a hard question for me to answer at times… at least in a manner I felt was convincing.
I will have to say, by allowing me to go through some pretty big challenges, Jesus has shown me WHO He really is. By allowing my faith to be tested… and delivering BIG TIME on His promises, I have become one of His major cheerleaders! I won’t say that I don’t ever get down or feel overwhelmed, because I do… more often than I care to admit! But I know Who has my back. I know what God can do… because I have seen Him do it! I know that more times than I can count, I have crept back with my head down in embarrassment that I allowed my faith to waver so much… and God delivered and blessed me anyway.
I’ve seen God use “little ole me” in ways I didn’t think were possible. I’ve felt the blessings of showing up at the right time with the right message… and knowing beyond a doubt that I had absolutely nothing to do with it!
Look around. Evidence of just how real God is can be seen in abundance! If you don’t see Jesus in people and places everywhere you look, you’re probably hanging with the wrong crowd… and your communication with God could use a little spit and polish! Ask Jesus to forgive your doubts and fill you with courage and confidence. Take everything to Him… your joys, sorrows, trials, and triumphs… and let Him sort them and work in and through you. Then step back and be amazed at how much He can do with the least of us. I know I am!
©2011 Debbie Robus
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