The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 28 April 2022 – TOPIC: BE NOT FAITHLESS
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TOPIC: BE NOT FAITHLESS
READ: JOHN 20:19-31 (NKJV)19. Then, the same day at evening, being the first [day] of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace [be] with you.”20. When He had said this, He showed them [His] hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.21. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”22. And when He had said this, He breathed on [them,] and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.23. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the [sins] of any, they are retained.”
24. Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.25. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “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.”
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26. And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”27. 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.”
28. And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”29. Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed [are] those who have not seen and [yet] have believed.”30. And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;31. but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
THE MESSAGE:In today’s text, Jesus appears before His disciples to strengthen, encourage and commission them. However, Thomas was not with them when Jesus appeared and he doubted their ‘claim’ until, according to him, he would see and feel Him by himself. Jesus appears again to clear the doubt arising from His own very fold.
This is because if the larger society must believe the account of the resurrection, then the harbingers of the story must be clear and certain about it in the first place. Thomas did not need to see before believing; he was to believe with the eyes of faith – for this is the basis of Christianity.Faith is the substance of things hoped for… (Hebrews 11:1).
It is no longer faith if we can only agree when we see the full manifestation; it is no longer faith when we need to see a miracle before associating it with the finger of God. Others may dwell at this level of faithlessness but we are called unto a higher ground. Abraham had hope against hope, nothing was there to point that what he expected would come to pass but he still believed, not staggering at the promise; and it was imputed to him for righteousness (Romans 4:22). Be not faithless!
PRAYER: Dear Lord, may You forgive and help my unbelief. Give me grace to always hold You by Your word – for it must surely come to pass.
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