Believing

Jesus answered them, Do you now believe?  

John 16:31 

Then He said to Thomas, Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. 

John 20:27 

Christ overcomes our unbelief by personal intervention. After He had arisen from the dead, He showed Himself to the disciples who gathered behind locked doors for fear of the religionists. Thomas was not there on this occasion. He was a hard sell. When he heard the others say they had seen Christ alive, he responded, ‘…Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’ Christ accommodated Thomas in a personal way. On the next Sunday, He appeared again to the gathered disciples, Thomas being there also. He addressed him directly with words of our text. What did Christ want from him? ‘Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ What does Christ want from us? He wants us to believe in Him. This supersedes every other belief. We may not believe in the organizations, institutions or some of the people who claim to speak for Him. We do believe in Him, and that is above all else what He wants by His Own testimony. Christ is the Person Who has done what is necessary to bring us to God. He has lived the life; died the death; risen from the dead; and proven Himself to us in every way. We believe in Him for all these reasons and more. He graciously restores our faith, when it has failed by giving us a clear sight of Himself.  

Our Gracious Master, and our God, 
we rejoice that You restore our faith. 
We praise You that all You do 
brings us to believe. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning