“Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and
My God!’” John 20:28
Ah, those epiphany moments, when the eyes of faith peer through the haze of doubt! Our hearts cannot conceal the joy within; our spirits leap and our frames cannot contain them.
Overtaken in his revelation moment, Thomas could not silence himself, his tongue giving voice to his heart’s awakening to Jesus as “Lord” and “God.” Similarly, though Saul had persecuted Him for years, he called Jesus, “Lord,” at the first sound of his voice. Three days later, this new believer was baptized into the faith.
But what about us who already believe? What happens when our proclamation of “Lord” languishes in doubt, when our adoration of “God” goes dry? Can we see God anew amid our distant times, and can our faith reach greater depths?
Among my favorite verses in the Bible is this short prayer of confession and petition uttered without pretense by a caring father in desperate need, “I believe; help my unbelief!”1 Doesn't he speak for us all? How many times have we pled the same for ourselves? Yes, even we who believe can draw nearer to God in renewed faith in Christ. Surely this is the Spirit’s work in us, yet is there anything we can do to grow and thrive more in faith?
The default setting of our sinful nature is to doubt God, to distrust Him and to withdraw from Him. The Spirit, on the other hand, beckons us to renew our minds, which is part of the process of being transformed into the likeness of Christ.2 Renewing our minds is like pressing a divine reset button: we stop and think, recognize our proclivity to doubt, consider God’s faithfulness, and decide to trust Him and His promises. Here are some examples of renewed-mind thinking.
Ah, those epiphany moments, when the eyes of faith peer through the haze of doubt! Our hearts cannot conceal the joy within; our spirits leap and our frames cannot contain them.
Overtaken in his revelation moment, Thomas could not silence himself, his tongue giving voice to his heart’s awakening to Jesus as “Lord” and “God.” Similarly, though Saul had persecuted Him for years, he called Jesus, “Lord,” at the first sound of his voice. Three days later, this new believer was baptized into the faith.
But what about us who already believe? What happens when our proclamation of “Lord” languishes in doubt, when our adoration of “God” goes dry? Can we see God anew amid our distant times, and can our faith reach greater depths?
Among my favorite verses in the Bible is this short prayer of confession and petition uttered without pretense by a caring father in desperate need, “I believe; help my unbelief!”1 Doesn't he speak for us all? How many times have we pled the same for ourselves? Yes, even we who believe can draw nearer to God in renewed faith in Christ. Surely this is the Spirit’s work in us, yet is there anything we can do to grow and thrive more in faith?
The default setting of our sinful nature is to doubt God, to distrust Him and to withdraw from Him. The Spirit, on the other hand, beckons us to renew our minds, which is part of the process of being transformed into the likeness of Christ.2 Renewing our minds is like pressing a divine reset button: we stop and think, recognize our proclivity to doubt, consider God’s faithfulness, and decide to trust Him and His promises. Here are some examples of renewed-mind thinking.
“I know from the Bible that God loves me
beyond measure, so I choose to rest securely in this assurance, entrust myself
to His care, and be glad.”
“When I look back on my life, God's faithfulness is clear, and I know His nature does not change, so I choose to trust Him with my situation now. Thank you, God, for being so good.”
“I believe Christ gave himself for all sins, including mine. I have sinned, so the best thing for me to do is to run to Him, confess my wrong, thank him for His forgiveness and ask Him to redirect me down His path Thank you, Jesus, for loving me so much.”
“God has extended to me grace after grace after grace, so in gratitude, joy and trust, I will extend the same grace to this person who has wronged me. Thank you, God, for freeing me to love others.”
When we renew our minds, our actions follow and our lives echo the words of Thomas’ words, “My Lord and My God!”
[Read today’s Scripture in John 20:24-31.]
1 Mark 9:24
2 Romans 12:2
“When I look back on my life, God's faithfulness is clear, and I know His nature does not change, so I choose to trust Him with my situation now. Thank you, God, for being so good.”
“I believe Christ gave himself for all sins, including mine. I have sinned, so the best thing for me to do is to run to Him, confess my wrong, thank him for His forgiveness and ask Him to redirect me down His path Thank you, Jesus, for loving me so much.”
“God has extended to me grace after grace after grace, so in gratitude, joy and trust, I will extend the same grace to this person who has wronged me. Thank you, God, for freeing me to love others.”
When we renew our minds, our actions follow and our lives echo the words of Thomas’ words, “My Lord and My God!”
[Read today’s Scripture in John 20:24-31.]
1 Mark 9:24
2 Romans 12:2
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