Doubt or believe

John 20:25b “…Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Were you at Creation?  Did you see Noah and the ark?  Did you watch as Jonah lived in the belly of the whale?  Did you watch David kill Goliath?   Were you at the manger where Jesus lay?  Did you see Lazarus walk out of the tomb?  Did you see Mary cry at the empty tomb?  Did you watch the two disciples walk with Jesus on the way to Emmaus?  Did you see Jesus rise into Heaven?  Did you see tongues of fire on people’s heads at Pentecost?  Do you believe you will spend eternity with your Savior?  Do you believe Jesus is preparing a home for you?  If you believe and doubt none of the preceding, God has blessed you abundantly.  Thank Him!! 

Are U the same?

John 20:20b “…The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” Can you, in your mind’s eye, see the disciples in the room as they saw Jesus for the first time after His resurrection?  Can you see the joy they experienced as they saw their loved Savior?  In your mind are you and I as thrilled as the disciples?  How about right now?  Are you and I thrilled and overjoyed that we have our Savior as our dearest and closest friend?  And He is right be your side!

A most important emotion

John 20:19b ‘”…Peace be with you.”‘ The entire Bible is written with this thought in mind.  All addictions, all frustrations, all confusion, all anxiety, all depression-the entire gamut of mental sorrow would be totally eliminated if we would believe with all our heart these 4 words coming from the lips of our Savior.  Why not enjoy these 4 words of comfort as we live our lives as His cared for, adopted heirs of the greatest blessing of all–Peace and eternal life.  Thank you Jesus! Have a great and peace filled weekend.

Are you looking?

John 20:15b “‘…Who is it you are looking for?'” What is it that drives you and me?  Intelligence? Attractiveness?  Wealth?  Popularity?  Power?  These are all achievable and they can all be wonderful blessings.  What drives you and me?  Answer: Our Savior’s love for us and our love for our Savior.  All the other desires fade and never produce an enduring satisfaction.  Jesus asked Mary the same question He asks you and me.  The answer couldn’t have been more obvious, but Mary’s tears blurred the answer.  How about you and me?  Do we live with blurred or clear vision?  Use your God-given talents, but have clear vision.

Why sad?

John 19:13 “They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?”‘ Mary was so sad.  She did not realize–all is well.  Don’t you and I find ourselves in the same situation?  We become depressed and think we are facing the worst of times when actually we are in the midst of the best of times.  A loved one dies, but really lives.  We think bad is happening but really we are learning a valuable lesson.  If our attitude is: God is in control, He only wants the best for us, He loves us dearly, He is either holding our hand or walking by our side or carrying us—all is well with my soul—we cannot help but live a contented, peaceful and secure life.  Even in our sadness we have joy.