We encourage you to read this devotion three times a
day. Start in the morning and reflect upon the morning reflection
question. Then in the afternoon, read it again and reflect using the noon
question for reflection. For the evening, take time to ponder how this
has resonated with you in the day and reflecting using the evening
question. We offer a prayer with each devotion for you to pray or we
invite you to pray what is in your heart.
John
20:19-31
19 On the evening of that first day
of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear
of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he
said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed
when they saw the Lord.21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
22 And with that he breathed on them and
said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are
forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the
Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So
the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”But he said to them,
“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.”26 A
week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them.
Though 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; see my
hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and
believe.”28 Thomas said to him, “My
Lord and my God!”29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who
have not seen and yet have believed.”30 Jesus
performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not
recorded in this book. 31 But these
are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the
Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.Reflection:
We have to acknowledge the world of the disciples and
Christ followers had been turned upside down. There was lot of confusion and redefinitions of character
and theologies. It began to
clarify some the words had spoke previously to the disciples. We are really good at throwing Thomas
under the bus because he is struggling and in need of proof- it kind of
sounds like each of us!
Criticizing him makes us feel better about own insecurities in faith
and our intrinsic need for tangible evidence of Jesus and divine presence in
our lives. I encourage you to
see Thomas in a new light. He
wanted to experience it for himself- we are exactly like this. See the example set in our text-
Jesus comes to him and fulfills exactly what he needs (not wants) to bring
him into faith that it was indeed real.
I pray it will be realized in your own life and that you might find
Jesus in your life.
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Reflection Questions:
Morning:
What
"proof" would help you in your faith?
Noon:
When are times that
Jesus has appeared in your life? How
did you respond?
Evening: How has the resurrection and the appearance
of Jesus in your life changed you faith?
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