Pine Baron
04-11-2022, 06:48 AM
Good morning all. I love this message today, as Thomas is one of the disciples I've most often identified with. Not so much "doubting", as "skeptical " (won't get fooled again). Have a safe and blessed day.
The Battle of Unbelief
by Greg Laurie on Apr 11, 2022
Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing’
—John 20:27
Some people have a hard time believing there’s a God in Heaven who loves them. It’s difficult for them to wrap their minds around the fact that God could have a plan for their lives.
Everyone struggles with doubt every now and then.
Mark’s gospel tells us that after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating, and “He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen” (16:14 NKJV).
Oswald Chambers, the author of the well-known Christian devotional My Utmost for His Highest, said, “Doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong; it may be a sign that he is thinking.”
Another disciple whom we call “doubting Thomas” was very skeptical. When the other disciples told him they had seen the risen Jesus, he replied, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25 NKJV).
But the next time they met, Thomas was there. And sure enough, Jesus appeared again. Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (verse 27 NKJV).
Thomas simply said, “My Lord and my God!” (verse 28 NKJV). He didn’t want to know anything more than what the others knew. He just needed to know for himself.
Maybe you’re struggling with doubt right now. You can come to Jesus with your skepticism. You can come to Jesus with your doubt.
You might be saying to God, “Show me, and I’ll believe.”
But God is effectively saying, “Believe, and I’ll show you.” You can turn your skepticism into faith, and you can turn your doubt into belief.
The Battle of Unbelief
by Greg Laurie on Apr 11, 2022
Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing’
—John 20:27
Some people have a hard time believing there’s a God in Heaven who loves them. It’s difficult for them to wrap their minds around the fact that God could have a plan for their lives.
Everyone struggles with doubt every now and then.
Mark’s gospel tells us that after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating, and “He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen” (16:14 NKJV).
Oswald Chambers, the author of the well-known Christian devotional My Utmost for His Highest, said, “Doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong; it may be a sign that he is thinking.”
Another disciple whom we call “doubting Thomas” was very skeptical. When the other disciples told him they had seen the risen Jesus, he replied, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25 NKJV).
But the next time they met, Thomas was there. And sure enough, Jesus appeared again. Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (verse 27 NKJV).
Thomas simply said, “My Lord and my God!” (verse 28 NKJV). He didn’t want to know anything more than what the others knew. He just needed to know for himself.
Maybe you’re struggling with doubt right now. You can come to Jesus with your skepticism. You can come to Jesus with your doubt.
You might be saying to God, “Show me, and I’ll believe.”
But God is effectively saying, “Believe, and I’ll show you.” You can turn your skepticism into faith, and you can turn your doubt into belief.