The reset button

“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.

“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

Why faith?

Then Jesus told [Thomas], “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

He probably didn’t coin the phrase, but Thomas was a “seeing is believing” kind of guy. Patron saint of Missouri, the “show-me” state ... at least when it came to the resurrection of the Christ. Maybe Thomas was too crushed in spirit by Jesus’ death to dare to hope again. Whatever the reason, when his closest friends reported, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas would have nothing of their eye-witness account.

Of course, we know the rest of the story: Jesus showed himself to Thomas, yet also took the opportunity to bless those who believe without seeing. So why is it so much better in God’s eyes to believe what we do not see? What difference does it make? Why is faith – certainty of what we hope for yet cannot see – so important?

God loves us more than we can begin to imagine, much more than we love ourselves. He not only hears and answers our prayers, he blesses and cares for us in countless ways for which we never even think to ask. He defends us when we’re unaware of attack; he provides when we're clueless to our need. He convicts when we don't see our sin; he forgives when we don't know what we’re doing. God sends people into our lives before we know we need them, and he uses us to bless those around us, though we’re often oblivious to the process. God delights in us. Pure and simple. He proactively, joyfully, eagerly, infinitely delights in us.

What does any of this have to do with belief? As great as God’s love for us, so much does he want us to love him and trust him completely with every aspect of our lives. “Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres,” wrote Paul¹. Now, if we loved someone even half as purely as God loved us, how would we feel if he or she wouldn’t believe us unless we proved it on their terms? Wouldn’t we be crushed? Wouldn’t we much rather they trust and enjoy our love for them? Wouldn’t we be elated if they had experienced our love so deeply that they laid aside all fear and doubt, accepting and entrusting themselves to our love, instead? Wouldn’t this be the kind of relationship we most desired and cherished?

When we look back on our life, do we now see God's unfailing love for us? Though he is no more visible now than then, he’s not about to change his faithfulness or his character. Then what could delight God more than for us to trust him, not based upon our “prove it” litmus tests, but in the full confidence and faith that he loves us without limit and he always will.

God, just for today, I choose to believe you. I delight in you and thank you for delighting in me. I entrust all that I am to you, for you are faithful, loving and true. And when I awake to a new day tomorrow, I will believe you yet again, for your steadfast love endures forever.

[The daily reading is found in John 20:26-31.]

¹ 1 Corinthians 13:7

He Gave Us Proof -- Believe!

Over the last 6000 years many religions have been practiced. Some have been founded by specific people, and others have evolved over the course of time. Some were written down and others came through oral tradition and mythology.

 

Perhaps the best known religious authors are Confucius (Confucianism), Lao-Tzu (Taoism), Gautama (Buddhism), Muhammad (Islam) and Zoroaster (Zoroastrianism).

 

These men defined rules for virtuous living, rules for family living and rules for public interaction.

 

Jesus: Religious Founder Above All Others

These religions defined how one should live today, or in some cases, live for today. It is true that some religions taught the existence of an afterlife, but also taught that the nature of the afterlife depended on how one lived one’s earthly life.

 

None of these religions offered proof of an afterlife or gave proof that a person would go there.

 

Today’s reading is John 20:19-29. Jesus lived a virtuous life, taught many to do the same, came into conflict with the religious and civil leaders and was crucified.

 

Jesus defined rules for living: Love your neighbor as yourself. He followed Gods desire that family should be the primary social entity for humans. He also taught there were times to follow secular rule and times to ignore secular rule.

 

If this was all he did, then he was no better than any of the others who founded a religion before him.

 

Jesus made promises about the afterlife and about our ability to conquer death. In today’s reading, he gave proof that what he said is true.

 

Jesus came back to life!

 

He spoke to his disciples. He commissioned them to continue his work. He gave them the Keys to Heaven.

 

But Thomas was not there. He did not believe the others’ testimony that Jesus was alive. Jesus gave Thomas more specific proof. He had Thomas put his finger through the nail holes in his hand and the spear hole in his side. Thomas saw and believed.

 

Jesus taught us that attaining heaven does not depend on how we live; it merely depends on our faith in him. We will get there. We can be sure what he says is true.

 

He gave us proof!

 

Believe!

 

I Can't Help But Admire Thomas

I am an amateur student of history, and I enjoy ancient and medieval history. In addition, perhaps because it is but a generation removed, I especially like to study World War II.

 

I am amazed that the German people let Hitler come to power and most did not try to stop him. I am astounded at the politics and what it took for the United States to enter the war.  I am also surprised at how easily the Nazis conquered Europe and sealed it off from the Western world.

 

The US and England needed to invade France, and they chose Omaha Beach in Normandy. Eighteen year old men travelled across the English Channel, waded in water from their amphibious vehicles to the beach, with German gunfire peppering their approach. Nearly 1 in 10 Allied Forces perished on June 6, 1944.

 

What went through the minds of these young men on that day? Did they think they were invincible? Did they not understand the danger? Or was their courage driven by the need to preserve freedom?

 

We can’t really say, but I can’t help but admire these heroes.

 

Today’s reading is John 11:1-16. Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary, had died in Bethany. Word came to Jesus, who planned to travel through Jerusalem to Bethany to restore Lazarus to health.

 

There was a problem. The Jews had recently attempted to stone Jesus and he fled with his disciples. His disciples thought travelling back through Jerusalem was not a good idea, since it clearly was not safe for Jesus.

 

After Jesus and some disciples had their discussion, Thomas chimed in, “Let us also go, that we may die with him [Jesus].”

 

On the one hand, you have to admire Thomas. He believed that following Jesus in this instance meant sure death. Yet, he was willing to go.

 

On the other hand, you have to question Thomas. Did he not know who Jesus is? Did he not believe Jesus when he implied he would make it to Bethany? Thomas did not yet “get it.”

 

Thomas’ understanding was weak, but he did have a strong faith!

 

Like the WWII heroes, I can’t help but admire Thomas!