Today's writing is by Jan Andersen, is entitled "SEEING AND BELIEVING" and is about doubt and faith. She writes, "The Holy Spirit works faith in God within our hearts so that it becomes "Believing is seeing" - with our hearts telling our minds and "seeing" or knowing that God exists."
May you be blessed with greater faith each day,
Jan and Corinne
May you be blessed with greater faith each day,
Jan and Corinne
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Today's Devotional:
SEEING AND BELIEVING
by
Jan Andersen
At some point we've probably all heard someone say, "I'll believe it when I see it!" Perhaps we've even used that phrase ourselves. It indicates doubt that something will ever happen. The only way the person will trust that it will happen is if they observe it for themselves. They need "proof positive" and won't even trust other people's reports of seeing it. It is the personal statement of another phrase, "Seeing is believing," meaning you have to see it to accept it as existing or occurring. Seeing is believing occurs with our eyes telling our minds something is true.
Thomas, one of the 12 disciples, has the unfortunate nickname of "Doubting Thomas" because he did not believe what the other disciples told him they saw. After Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day, he walked this earth for a time, appearing to many people. But Thomas said he would believe it until he saw it for himself. Not only did he say he had to see Jesus, but he also said he had to put his hands in the wounds on his hands and in his side so could also feel them for himself. So not only did he have to "see it to believe it," he also had to touch it to feel it, physically and mentally.
Lest we ridicule Thomas for his doubting, we may have similar problems with disbelief. Sometimes our doubts are about ourselves, other times about family or friends, and so forth. We may even have doubts about God. How can God care about me, one small speck in the universe? How can anything good come from this problem? Is God really there? How can such awful things happen in the world if God is so loving? God can't possibly care about the little things in my life, so I won't pray about them. Does God really hear me when I pray, and will he answer my prayers? I'll believe it when I see it!
Faith is the opposite of doubt. When we have faith in something, we don't have to actually see proof. When someone else tells us about something and we believe it to be true, we demonstrate confidence in their words. The Holy Spirit works faith in God within our hearts so that it becomes "Believing is seeing" - with our hearts telling our minds and "seeing" or knowing that God exists. Thomas did confess his faith after he saw Jesus for himself. We don't have that luxury. We rely on the faith given us by the Spirit in our baptism. Through that faith we are blessed with the knowledge that Jesus laid down his life for us so that we might live with him forever in heaven.
John 20:29 (NIV) Then Jesus told [Thomas], "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
1 John 3:16 (NIV) This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
Dearest Father in heaven, thank you for your gift of the Holy Spirit who plants faith in you in our hearts, and for your gift of your Son who freely gave his life for us in order that we might live forever in heaven. You have helped us to believe in our hearts so we can see in our minds that you are real and that you care about us. Help us to have faith in your presence and involvement in our lives. Help us to continue to grow that faith in you and to witness to others about your great love for all and the free gift of forgiveness and salvation. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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Open the eyes of my heart Lord
by Michael W. Smith
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Prayers are lifted up daily for
you by the Devotional Writers
and the Monthly Writing Staff
of Women's Focus Ministries.
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