I would love to have seen Jesus when He walked this earth fully man yet fully God. I was not afforded that honor…yet I believe in Him - place my faith in Him - having never ever laid eyes on Him. The old adage ‘seeing is believing’ makes many believers and followers of Jesus seem as fools to those who demand proof that Jesus was nothing more than a mere mortal.
When Jesus was crucified, the disciples were shattered. The one they had placed their faith in, the one for whom they had forsaken everything, was suddenly slain right before their very eyes. Yet, Jesus rose on the third day and began revealing Himself to many. In John 20:25, the disciples tried to persuade one of their own members - a man named Thomas who had not yet laid eyes upon the Risen Christ - that Jesus was alive and well. They said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
When Jesus rose from the grave, many saw Him - but most simply heard the story and believed in the name and power of Jesus anyway. While with the disciples, Thomas, being one who had not seen the risen Savior, allowed doubt to rule his view rather than faith. When Jesus came to the disciples again, Thomas could not even believe his own eyes. The one in their midst looked like Jesus but still Thomas was full of doubt. We find what Jesus did to prove Himself to Thomas in John 20:27-28:
27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
We may not be able to see the physical Jesus but we can all testify to spiritual sightings…spiritual evidence of the fact that Jesus is risen and alive and well even today - right in our very midst. This is simple faith! And it does not take much faith to believe that Jesus is alive and well and at work in and around us. We simply need the faith the size of a mustard seed!
Hebrews 11:1 NASB says, 1 Now faith is the assurance of [things] hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Whether people admit it or not, everybody worships something. If worship involves the loving of or bowing down to something or someone else, everyone worships something. That is just reality. Some worship power. Some worship money. Some worship prestige and popularity. Some worship the wisdom of mankind. Some worship science alone. Some worship themselves. Some worship other people to the degree that they build their entire lives around the object of their affection. My point? Everybody has faith in something.
Where we place our faith strongly influences our world view and helps us determine the choices we make in this life. The sad reality is far too many people place their faith in something or someone that cannot possibly last. Power can be gone in an instant. Money can be gone in a flash. Popularity can fade in a moment. People can fail us and be gone like a mist in the wind. The wisdom of man is only as good when it aligns with the Word of God. Anything or anyone we place our faith in can be gone like ashes scattered to the winds. There is only One we can place our faith who will not leave us high and dry…only One Who will never let us down. His name is Jesus. We tend to worship that which we put our faith in. What we believe and Who we believe in could mean the difference between victory and defeat…the difference between life and death. Where does your faith lie? Who do you believe in? I believe in…I worship one alone…and His name is Jesus.
John 20:29 NASB puts it simply, 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed [are] they who did not see, and [yet] believed.”
Let’s declare our belief in Jesus during the coming days and encourage our own souls in the Lord…in the hope we find in a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dennis Jernigan
To listen to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast on this subject and to hear a song to help bolster your faith, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/i-believe-1588703025/
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