Scripture: John 20.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

John 20:24-27 (NLT)

24 One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came.

25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!“
28
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
29 Then Jesus told him,
“You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

I believe that many of us are like Thomas. We need to see a sign or miracle to believe. The thing that really spoke to me on this is that Thomas was one of the disciples, yet he struggled with faith. When others (particularly non-Christians) look at us as an example of Christ, as a follower of Christ, as one who knows the Lord, do they see enough faith in us to make a believer of them? Thomas was struggling on his own, I can’t imagine how others who looked to him for Godly wisdom and direction would have gained more strength than what he himself was displaying. God expects us to depend on Him, His Word and all the teachings contained therein. He expects us to be full of faith, as in verse 27 He admonished us to not be faithless any longer. Let us therefore stand on the promises of God. Let us believe that He will do what He said He would do. Let our faith be so bold that others will know there is a God because they can see it and feel it in all that we are about.

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, there are so many truths in Your Word that encourage us each day and give us direction for the Godly life that You should lead, especially so that those that may not know You might gain a desire to want to know you personally. To do this, I believe that it will be important to place our faith and trust solidly in You and to make every moment count, as we could never imagine when someone may be looking to us for the Godly influence, faith or direction needed to help them make a decision to also ask Jesus to guide them. May I be a man of faith, and may those that read this be people of sincere faith each and every day through the grace that only You can give.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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