Showing posts with label healing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healing. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Questions for God?-Thoughts on Thomas



Have you ever questioned your faith or wanted proof from God instead of relying simply on faith? Believe me, everyone does at some point or another. I certainly have. But through doubt we are able to recognize a broken or weak area in our bridge that leads us away from the world & into His. (Metaphorically speaking). We are able to recognize our weak faith, repair it, & stand steady on it. Creating a strength in an otherwise unsteady bridge and allowing us to move forward. Thomas the apostle really shows how questioning God in complete inquisitive truth can help us fix a part of our faith that needed fixing or reworking, strengthen our faith in God, and give us new insight into who He is and what He purposes for us.


The Apostle Thomas was such a small character in the Bible. In fact he was only mentioned a few times in the Word. But much like there are no small parts but only small actors, Thomas was a very important figure in our faith today.
There is a quote saying, -"Thomas doubted so we wouldn't have to."-
Two quotes, out of the most important quotes about faith in my opinion, from Jesus were made in response to Thomas' questionably doubtful but truthful nature.
In John 14:5-6, Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
This alone is our faith in a nut shell. Jesus, is the only way to heaven.
&
In John 20:25-29, Thomas shows reservation about believing that Christ has risen and shown Himself and states he will not believe unless he sees the wounds in Jesus' hands. A week later Jesus shows himself again to the apostles and tells Thomas to touch His wounds so that he may believe. Thomas then says to Him, "my Lord and my God!" Jesus then says, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This quote wraps up that previous nut sell in its hard exterior. We must believe in Christ to get to heaven....even if we have not physically seen Him.
-"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."-Saint Augustine

Thomas was an important evangelist and speculations of him opening the first Christian church in India is credited to his name but I would like to think his biggest service to God was giving us a look see into what faith is about.
He made it to where we can see doubt spoken directly to God from a man who was ready to give his life for God. (John 11:16)
A bit cynical in his approach but we shouldn't have fear when approaching God. We should be straight forward with our doubts and fears. God already knows them but when we lay them out on the table ourselves our relationship strengthens 10 fold!
Thomas showed a character flaw, (doubt) that wasn't without rebuke from God but was made useful for years and years to come.
Consider that our doubts, although stemming from the devil trying to sway us are also used by the Holy Spirit to strengthen our relationship with God. It is only by addressing these matters we can get through them & become less apt to have them in the future.

After Thomas was shown Jesus he stated my Lord and my God. He is the only person in the Bible to say my God to Jesus. Which in my opinion is very important because after having doubts he proclaimed Jesus WAS God. Such a heavy truth. & for a man who was only mentioned a couple times in the Bible.
We don't know our own importance while we do the things we do. We might think we are terrible followers because we continue to stumble and greet sin with open arms and blind eyes or worse open eyes, but God can use everything for His glory and we may never know what our minimal existence will help with down the line but we can be sure that no matter how small or how unseen, God is using us and that is a BIG truth and of the utmost importance.

Friday, September 20, 2013

God's Way

When we & or our faith feel attacked let us pray the Armor of God and remember, our God is bigger.
Ephesians 6:10-18

Sometimes life throws us some doozies doesn't it? And throughout these complicated problems, 9 times out of 10 we have a knack for messing them up even worse than they started.
Why?! Why can't we seem to keep silent instead of keeping our mouth open and why can't we look to God and search Him before we search our own self-seeking hearts? 
That sinful nature of ours never seems to give us a break does it? Thank the good Lord that He cared enough to give His son Jesus to die for those sins. Sins we might have to answer for here on earth in the form of consequences but sins that have also been forgiven and no longer shackle us to an eternity separated from God.
The heartbreak that last statement gives me could shatter all windows within a couple hundred miles of me. I think of the heartbreak I feel when I get into arguments with loved ones and know how that hurts so but just like the heartbreak of complete separation from Christ can be a remedied problem through faith in Him so can us learning from our mistakes through the healing power of Christ.
He heals our hearts and sets our minds on Him and purifies our thoughts so that we know how to speak and act in ways that glorify Him.
Let us remember to pray before we respond to any circumstance, even if it's a quick prayer asking God to help us say or write what is appeasing to Him and will ultimately shine on His glory.
When we mess up it is not the end but instead the begining. Another chance to enter into a similar position and handle it better and say to all who see, "I handled that this way because God changed me."
Upon everything we have done let's rest a new way to handle the same problem but this time, God's way.