Doubts and Disciples - Wednesday October 14, 2015
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!" 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." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" John 20:26-28 NIV
We learn two very important life lessons from the situation described above. First, Thomas was still with the disciples in the midst of His doubt and, two, the disciples let him doubt.
Up until this point Thomas had experienced Jesus in many ways. But, here, he comes to a crisis of faith. His best friends had encountered the living Lord in a new and profound way, and he hadn't. How many of you are like Thomas? You look at those around you and think, "Why is their experience with Jesus so much more real than mine?" Or, "I used to be passionate about following the Lord, but too much has happened, too much has changed. Why are others still on fire, and I just want to give up?"
Now notice verse 26: "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them." The big idea here is that even in the midst of his real doubt, Thomas was still with the disciples. It was there that Jesus came to end his doubt. He didn't leave the disciples; he didn't walk out on the church! He didn't say, "I'm out of here" and go hang out with the other "doubters" of Jesus and find refuge there. No, he stayed with the disciples. And while he doubted in their midst, Jesus came. If that is you today, stay in the midst of Christians and doubt. Just like He did with Thomas, Jesus will come!
Submitted by:
Steele Croswhite
The Rock Church
Salt Lake City, Utah
One-Year Reading Plan:
Jeremiah 23:21-25:38
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Psalms 84:1-12
Proverbs 25:15
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SCRIPTURE REFERENCB-ES: Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible B) The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy, Bible, New International Version, copyright B) 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternaB-tional Bible Society; (NKJV) are from New King James Version B) 1982 by Thomas Nelson; (NLT) are from the New Living Translation, B) 1996, Tyndale House Publishers; (ESV) are from English Standard VersionB., B) 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers; (TM) are from The Message B) 1993 by NavPress Publishers.