April 14
JOHN 20
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he 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.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. – John 20:26-31
JOHN 20 BELIEVE & YOU WILL HAVE LIFE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When doubts and unbelief enter our hearts
We are unable to move to our lives forward
We will be tossed to and fro by immobility
If we believe, it needs to be wholeheartedly.
The unbelief of Thomas is very common to us humans, including Christians. Depending on how far we have grown our faith in God, we will have various degrees of struggle with this inconsistency in our beliefs. True faith is not something a Christian can fabricate. It is a free gift given to us by God. We need to receive it and embrace it without trying to understand or add to it.
Like Thomas, we have little minds that only fathom what it can visually see. When we are doubtful, it is the occasion for us to run quickly to the Holy Spirit instead of relying on our own thinking and understanding. The Lord understands every weakness and sinfulness we have. All he wants from us is that childlike trust that we usually give those who care for us when we were little and helpless. He wants us to run to him because he is our Father who wants to provide for all our needs and even our wants if it is for our benefit. We need to believe even if we can’t see in order to have the life God wants for us or else we are going to live like zombies, alive physically but dead spiritually.
REFLECTION
• Share some insights or observations on zombie-like Christian lives.
