Words Of Christ Devotions

[nChrist]

November 5

Between Two Thieves

Luk_23:39-43

There are two thieves—all that is required to express the two views of suffering for sin.

The first thief reflects the world's view.  It starts with the idea that we are basically good.  We are told that God is good, and God is powerful.  Since we are good, then why are we suffering?  Surely a good God would not allow this.  So therefore he is not good, or not powerful, or both.  (If you're an atheist, God doesn't exist—and you're mad at him for it.)

The second thief reflects the view from heaven.  It is not an eloquent exposition of it—but the heart cry of one who understands.

He begins with the fear of God.  The first thief talks down to Christ;  the second fears God.

He acknowledges that he has sinned—and deserves to be punished.  Any ordinary man will acknowledge that justice applies to others;  the rare man knows it applies to himself.

He also knows the power and goodness of God.  It is upon God's goodness that he bases his plea for mercy;  it is in his power that he trusts for a result.

Christ's reply

We must first consider Christ's reply to the first thief:  silence.

There is silence for there is no hope for this man.  Jesus reserved his condemnation for the hypocrites.  For those who could repent, he held out the hope of heaven.  This man had no hope.

Christ's mission was to be the Lamb of God.  He did not come to judge.

His reply to the second thief is short and full of hope:

"Today" - not someday, not at the Resurrection—today!  What a comfort in death!
"With Me" - have you ever wanted to meet your Lord face to face?  In death you will be "present with the Lord."

"Paradise" - theologians debate the meaning—but I like the name of the place!
In the midst of undeserved suffering, pain and injustice, our Lord holds out the hope of glory—even to a thief.

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[nChrist]

November 6

Woman, Behold Your Son

Joh_19:25-27

Have you ever been asked by someone who was dying to take some prize possession of theirs?  Perhaps something that was a shared memory between the two of you, it is an honor that one friend can pay another at the last moment in life.

Think, then, of the honor Jesus pays the Apostle John at this moment.  Of all earthly things, what could have been more precious to Jesus than his mother?  John would not have been the "next of kin" to whom Mary would have been confided; this is a great trust indeed.

It is also a great lesson in the care of parents—mother in particular.  There were other women at the Cross;  Jesus evidently gave no instructions concerning them.  Only Mary receives his concern here.  And at what a time!  In the beginning of his ministry, when He turned water into wine at Cana, he told her that his hour had not yet come.  He rebuked her then;  but now his hour is indeed at hand, and his only words to her are ones of love and care.

It is also a lesson in theology:  if Jesus were not made of the same flesh as the rest of us, why this care for his mother?

Examples for us

There are three great examples given us here:

First, our Lord confirms for us the teaching that we are to care for our parents.  "Worse than an infidel" Paul calls the man who refuses to care for his parents.  It is a lesson much needed in our day.

We have also the example of the love which should flow through the church.  John is not "next of kin."  But without a word, at the service of his Lord and friend, he takes on this responsibility.  History tells us that she went with John to Ephesus and died there many years later.  This service is a model of Christian love from the disciple whom Jesus loved.

It is a model in another way for us.  How many of us are entrusted with the souls of those who are our students or hearers?  Jesus has given these to us.
Whether we are responsible for their spiritual welfare or their physical welfare, the responsibility is given by the Lord—to us.  Like the disciple whom Jesus loved, we should return his love by passing it on to those whom Jesus has given us.

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[nChrist]

November 7

My God, My God

Mat_27:45-50

It is the most disturbing sentence when first read.  How is it that the Son of God could be forsaken by the Father?  And what lessons shall we derive from this?

Some say the matter is relative.  Consider the glory of Christ that he had with the Father;  now consider the shame of a cruel death on the Cross.  Who would not feel forsaken?

Others hold it simply this way:  as the Son of God he was not forsaken—for he promised Paradise to the thief, and he would not promise what he could not deliver.  But as Son of man he was forsaken, dying like the rest of us.  The agony is apparent;  the closer you are to someone you love, the greater the agony of separation.

Most likely of all is this:  God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us.  As the sacrifice for our sins, he was "sin" on the Cross, and God could have no contact with sin.

Even in this darkest of moments, Jesus honors his Father—which is a great lesson for us.  Do you see how his death is prophesied?  To make this connection clear, he quotes from Psalm 22.  To make it clear to the Jews in front of him that he always honors his Father, he quotes it in Hebrew.

In so doing, he is teaching us, to the last.  The cry is from Psalm 22:1, one of the Messianic Psalms.  There are three Psalms, from Psalm 22 through Psalm 24, which prophesy the Christ—in his advent (Psalm 22), in his church (the very familiar Psalm 23) and in his return in glory (Psalm 24).  Not only does he teach us to heed to prophecies, he is also teaching us how to pray in times of great distress.

Have you ever sent someone a sympathy card upon the loss of a loved one?  You go to the store, seeking just the right words that express the appropriate sentiment.  The Psalms are the greeting card store of the Old Testament.  In them you will find the words you are looking for.  Is it deep repentance for sin you need?  Recite Psalm 51.  Do you seek assurance in your worldly condition, or approaching death?  It is no wonder Psalm 23 is so familiar, for it speaks to these.  Meditate upon the glory of God through Psalm 8.

And when the waters of trouble boil about you, and you are completely abandoned, pray Psalm 22, as your Lord did.

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[nChrist]

November 8

I Am Thirsty

Joh_19:28-29

Have you ever arranged a meeting with someone you'd never met before?

You start by telling them you'll be at a particular place in a particular time.  You might tell them what you'll be wearing;  what you would be carrying or give them some other feature by which to recognize you.

Jesus did the same for the Jews.  He told them the Messiah was to come, and in prophetic terms told them what to look for.  The timing was established in the Book of Daniel.  The place was defined as Bethlehem.  Many more details were added, too.

Here are the last two details.  John tells us that Jesus knows that all has been completed.  The time of the Passover sacrifice—which in this Passover will be the sacrifice which takes away the sin of the world—is at hand.  But there are two more tiny details to be done:

Psalm 22:15 tells us that He will be thirsty.

Psalm 69:21 tells us what He will drink.

It is an interesting combination:  gall and vinegar.  It surprises some to learn that this drink is an act of charity.  Certain women of the time provided this drink to those being crucified.  Vinegar is made from wine, and would help with the terrible thirst which comes upon victims of crucifixion.  The gall acts as an anesthetic, numbing the pain to some degree.  Note that the Savior accepts in full the pain of the Cross;  it is only at the last moment, when it can have no effect on his pain, that he accepts this drink.  He takes the full measure of suffering so that we might have the full measure of salvation.

The last detail is now complete before his death.  It is a mark of the workmanship of God that no detail is left out.  That should be a comfort to us.  How often we think that God must have missed something in our lives, or that he doesn't quite understand our problem!  Be assured from this:  he understands everything right down to the minutest detail.  He will omit nothing which is necessary for your salvation—if you will trust him.

Trust him?  Yes, that's the point.  He has shown you to what lengths his love for you will go.  He has shown you that he will not omit a thing;  all was planned long ago, before time began, that you might have salvation.  He asks only that you conform to his plan, his will, and be one more detail—finished in glory.

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[nChrist]

November 9

Into Your Hands

Luk_23:46

Only Luke records this statement.  Luke, you will recall, is the careful researcher of the record of Jesus Christ.  He alone records that Jesus commends his spirit to the hands of God.

Power

The hand of God is the source of power.  The Old Testament frequently reminds the Jew that is was by God's mighty hand that they were delivered from Egypt.  The challenge is made:  who can deliver anyone from the hand of God?  So it is that Jesus gives up his spirit to the one who has power to do all that He wills.

Creation

The Psalmist assures us that the universe was created by the hand of God, and that this same hand is the source of all abundance toward us.  So our Lord gives his spirit into the care of the one who made heaven and earth—and will bring a new heaven and earth upon his return.

Source

The hand of God is said to be the source of many things:

Solomon assures us that our lot in life comes from the hand of God.

His hand is described by Ezra and Nehemiah as being gracious when it is upon you.   David in distress asked that he fall into the hand of God, not of men, for God is merciful.

It is the hand of God that gives the people unity—both in old times and now in the church.

The Scripture tells us that Christ will return—with our reward in his hand.

This hand is righteous;  it is powerful;  it is the source of all good things.  Our Lord gives up his spirit—voluntarily, please note—not to wander the universe, but into the care of this righteous hand.

There is one more reference to God's hand.  Because of this sacrifice, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God.  Seated, which implies equality.  At the right hand—which means righteousness.  When he returns in glory, some will find it dreadful to fall into the hands of the Living God.  Will you?

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[nChrist]

November 11

The Son of God

Mat_27:51-56

The torn veil

"It is not fanciful to regard it as a solemn act of mourning on the part of the house of the Lord."  - C. H. Spurgeon

In the manner of the times a man would express his state of mourning by tearing his clothes.  It was an expression of deep sorrow in a society which had many such formal gestures.  It is not surprising, therefore, that the place where the Lord placed his Name would react to the death of its Lord in such a way.  The universe is the Lord's;  if the rocks would cry out for his Triumphal Entry, would not the Temple mourn for his death?

The rocks did not cry out—they split.  The graves opened, and many came out.  Note that it is those who were holy who returned.  All this is prophetic of Christ's return.

The tearing of the veil of the Temple had other meanings as well:

The veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple.  In that place God was to meet the High Priest.  That place is now open.  No longer do we need a priest to take our petitions before Almighty God.

The veil also symbolized the separation of man from God by reason of sin.  That barrier was ripped apart, for the sacrifice for sin had been accomplished.
This changes how we deal with God Almighty.

It is as if the door had been opened.  We are commanded to approach boldly the throne of grace.

What shall we do as we come?  We perform the function of the priest:  intercession for others.

In so doing, we find sweet communion with our God.

"Surely this was the Son of God."  Surely it was, for no human agency could have ripped that veil.  No mortal man could have opened the way to God.  None of us is so pure and sinless as to become the sacrifice for sin.  Which of us would dare to claim the power to raise the dead?

The Son of God became man so that we might become sons of God, his brothers, joint heirs of the kingdom of God.  Centurions—the sergeants  of the Roman Army—were not noted for their gullibility.  This one knew what he was talking about.

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[nChrist]

November 12

Preparation

Joh_19:38-42

Joseph of Arimathea is one of the minor characters of the New Testament.  He is not particularly noted for any other activities in the Bible, but here he performs a most unusual act:  he buries Jesus of Nazareth.

There is much debate about this.  Some consider him a coward for not speaking up in the Sanhedrin at the trial.  D. L. Moody, on the other hand, considered his act of begging the body from Pilate to be the most courageous act of the whole drama.  If so, it is a remarkable combination of courage and kindness.

Courage, for this could (and by legend did) cost him his position in the nation of Israel.

Kindness—for Jesus was dead, and he could never repay the courtesy given, as far as Joseph could know.

The Jews would have considered this a mishnah—an act of charity—of the highest degree, because there was no way the recipient could either know the giver or repay the giver.

Kindness to the dead—an example for us

Of all to whom we can render charity, the dead would seem the least likely to repay us.

But for that exact reason it is one of the highest degrees of charity.  Our Lord told us that when we throw a party we are not to invite those who can invite us in return.  Rather, we are to invite those who can't .  This is a similar case.
And in like fashion, the Lord will see this and repay us at his return, if not before.

It is all the more blessed because of our fear of death;  we are uncomfortable thinking about it.  So when we act upon it, this makes it all the greater act.

Joseph of Arimathea is the patron saint of undertakers.  Legend surrounds the man.  He is said to be the first missionary to England, building the first church there, at Glastonbury.  The legend tells us that he brought the Holy Grail to that site, and treasure hunters have been digging for it since.  Are these things true?  There is evidence for them, but no proof.  It is interesting, however, that this one kindness seems to have been sufficient to establish his reputation in legend—and be an example to us as well.

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[nChrist]

November 14

Watch on the Tomb

Mat_27:61-66

Be sure of one thing:  God will take the evil thoughts and actions of evil men and use them for his own glory.  No better example is found here.

Take, to begin with, the reluctant Pontius Pilate.  He really didn't want to get involved in this religious dispute;  none of Rome's business, as he saw it.  He only acted to put down a potential riot.  So—the man being dead—what further involvement would he want?  Rather than involve Roman authority in this matter—you fellows do it yourself.  You seal the tomb.  I'll provide the soldiers, but you're responsible for all this nonsense.

Do you see what God has done?  He has taken the guilty conscience of Pilate and used it to provide more evidence of the Resurrection itself.  For if Rome had sealed the tomb, the story about the soldiers being bribed might make sense.  But Rome didn't.  Israel did.  So Christ's enemies provide one more proof of his Resurrection.

Why are they here anyway?  They're worried about someone stealing the body.  Now think about that:  don't you suppose they're on the alert for trickery here?  Do you think they didn't make sure he was dead?  Of course they did.  That's why they have now turned their attention to the body and the tomb.  Your friends might lie for you—but Jesus' enemies here testify on his behalf that he was indeed dead.

Pilate grants them all that they ask.  All the power of the state, all the power of the religious authorities, will be used to secure this tomb so that Jesus of Nazareth will surely stay in it.  Everything in human power was done to keep Jesus in the tomb.  Fear that the disciples would steal the body?  Not with a guard of soldiers around it; the disciples could muster but two swords, if they had the courage to use them.  They didn't.

Who is watching the watchers?  The Pharisees, of course.  Do you suppose they trusted the common soldier?  The finest proof of the Resurrection is this:
Jesus' enemies knew exactly what he had prophesied about his Resurrection;  they understood it clearly (though his disciples didn't get it); they knew what they had to do to prevent any form of fraud—keep that body in the ground!  They had all the power and authority necessary to do the job, and they were intelligent men doing it.  They knew he was dead, and they were going to keep him that way.

Then came the dawn...

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[nChrist]

November 15

They Remembered His Words

Luk_24:1-8

One of the most frustrating things that I do to my wife is forget.  Somewhere, it is written that a husband must have a memory like the proverbial elephant.  All her words, and all implications of them, should be readily available at any instant.  Alas, it is not so.  Often I find myself hearing, "Don't you remember?"

The curious thing is that very often I do remember—when she points it out to me.  When this happens, it's usually because she uses precisely the same words she did the first time.

Perhaps that's what happened here;  but there are some other lessons we need to learn from this incident:

God's purposes are eternal.  The angels are not delivering news to the women.  Jesus told them this was going to happen.  They should have expected it—at least that seems to be what the angels indicate here.  It was prophesied;  Jesus repeated it; they evidently pushed it aside from their minds.  Just because we've forgotten doesn't mean that God will not bring it about.

If you're not listening, you'll wind up in the wrong place.  Have you ever gotten in deep trouble by being in the wrong place at the wrong time?  These ladies were in the wrong place, among the dead.

If you're not listening, you'll do the wrong thing.  They came to anoint the dead.  That's a good thing.  It's not what they should have been doing.  Have you ever found yourself fixing a small problem when you should have been working on the real trouble?

We need to be reminded more than taught.  Ever wonder why the preacher seems to repeat himself?  Maybe it's because he sees the same problems over and over in his congregation.  That's why we are encouraged to read the Scriptures daily—so that we will be reminded of what we already know.

We're human.  One thought drives out another, and it's hard to keep our minds on the most important things.  There are many distractions out there.  As a result, we are often puzzled and perplexed in our Christian lives when we should be confident of our Lord's unchanging nature.  The journey of faith has many steps;  we need to read the map of Scripture.  But like any other map, looking at it once is not enough.  Keep the map open, use it daily, and it will be your sure guide through life.

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[nChrist]

November 16

Peter and John at the Tomb

Joh_20:2-10

Of all the Apostles, we know the most about Peter and John.  Here we see their differences portrayed.

Both ran

Why?  Most likely it would have been in response to Mary's passionate cry.  They would consider grave robbing a sacrilege, an outrage—and that's what they thought they were dealing with.  They were making haste on a righteous errand.

When a crisis arises, how good it is to have someone else with you!  Is this not why our Lord sent them out two by two?  We will see here how this strengthens each.

God's gifts vary

One of the sad things in the modern church is the existence of those who proclaim things like, "Unless you can speak in tongues you are not a real Christian."  God does not award his gifts like that.  Rather, by the Spirit, he apportions them for the good of the church.

John—while evidently the faster runner—stops at the edge of the tomb.  He is the cautious, thinking type.  He wants to study the situation a bit.

Peter—ever impetuous—barges past him and pops right in.  He is like the mongoose:  "run, find out."

Peter having shown the way, John now follows.  They see the evidence of their eyes, and John believes.  No doubt this will strengthen Peter as he searches for the truth.

Note that neither of them understood the Scriptures about the Resurrection.  They had only the facts before their eyes.  John needed no more;  Peter, the man of action, must see and touch.

Grave clothes left behind

What convinced John?  Perhaps it was this;  the grave clothes were left behind, neatly folded.  Would one who stole the body do that?  A grave robber might take the linen—but not the body.  No, the only explanation is this:  the risen One does not need grave clothes any more.  They are folded so that we might see that the deed was not done in haste.  Lazarus came forth in his grave clothes, for he would need them again.  Jesus came forth without them—He had no further use for them.

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[nChrist]

November 17

Why Are You Weeping?

Joh_20:11-18

"Why?"  It's the favorite word of three-year-olds.  We have a few "why's" here too.

Why did Mary Magdalene look into the tomb?

Obviously, something was not right here.  Recall that women were distinctly different in social standing in that culture;  the men probably didn't explain anything to her.  Indeed, they didn't yet agree on the meaning of what they saw.  So she may have been curious.  She had followed Jesus for some time;  maybe she just was accustomed to cleaning up after men.  But her humility allowed her to see the angels.

Why did she turn around?

Perhaps it's just the natural process of backing out of a small rock tomb—these things don't need to be spacious.  Chrysostom suggests, however, that she saw the look on the angels' faces when they saw the Lord—and turned around to see who was there.

Why didn't she recognize the Lord?

The simple explanation is that she had been crying, and her eyes were clouded with tears.  But—just perhaps—this was our Lord's doing.  Perhaps he wanted her to hear his voice, for He said, "My sheep will hear my voice."

Why did he tell her not to hold on?

The word in the original Greek carries the sense of "clinging tightly."  It's as if she was hugging him tight—to make sure he didn't leave.  But the plans of Christ cannot be altered by that.  To his Father he would return, after a time.

Lessons for us

There is a picture here for us:

In humility, let us look into the evidence of the Resurrection.

"Turn around" - it is the root concept of repentance, and we need to do that.
Listen—to the voice of the Master, and none other.

Do not cling to the precious moments with our Lord.  Rather, take those moments and tell others that Jesus is risen!

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[nChrist]

November 18

On The Road

Luk_24:13-32

Of Cleopas we know nothing more than is in this passage.  The other disciple with him may have been Luke himself;  we don't know.  But clearly these are not from among the twelve.  There is comfort in that Jesus troubled himself to speak to others of his disciples;  it is worrisome that they did not know who he was.  Why was that?

Did they hear his voice?

Luke tells us that their eyes (literally) were prevented from recognizing Jesus;  but why didn't they recognize his voice?

First, because they did not expect him.  Jesus tells them that they are foolish, which (in the original) means that they had no sense.  He says they are slow of heart—it means dull witted.  Why?  Because they did not expect him to rise from the dead, despite what the prophets had foretold.  So it is that he must explain to them just what the prophets were talking about.

Second, because they did not believe.  It seems that the testimony of the women counted for nothing with them;  even the presence of angels was not enough.  But it is often like this.  Remember how the Israelites in the desert lost faith?

God comes to those who invite him

"I stand at the door and knock.  If any man will."  Christ is the ultimate gentleman.  He will not break down the door of your heart with his mighty power (though he has been known to rattle it a bit to let you know just who's outside).  The door to your heart is yours to open, yours alone.  It is that opening that he desires from you above all else.  He wants fellowship with you.  He has no need for terrified subjects, groveling in fear.  He wants his kingdom to be populated by hearts filled with love—filled with Him.

Were not our hearts burning within us

There is a passionate joy in knowing the Lord personally.  Have you ever been separated from the one you love?  Then you know how good it feels to step off the plane and see her waiting there.  That is a taste of the joy of having Christ forever with you.  We were designed to live forever in the presence of God.  This is not to be an icy existence, but the passion of a burning heart.

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[nChrist]

November 19

Evidence in the Flesh

Luk_24:36-43

In one sense the disciples are modern men:  they doubted.

It's not that surprising.  Jesus, after all, appears in their midst—with the door bolted shut.  The disciples are hiding in fear from the authorities, the Shepherd was struck down and the sheep are scattered, and cowering.  So fear is in their minds when Jesus appears.

Like a timid man in a midnight graveyard, they're frightened at every noise.  Imagine the shock of Jesus simply appearing like that!  Rather than take it as the obvious sign of power that it is (the Creator has power over all time and space), their first reaction is that they are seeing his ghost.

So he gives them the mundane proofs of his bodily presence.  Touch my body;  give me something to eat.  The disciples don't know what to think.  They're overjoyed to see Jesus again—and they don't believe in the Resurrection!  With the physical evidence in front of them, they just don't get it.  It is one of the strongest proofs of the honesty of the Resurrection:  Jesus' own disciples simply would not believe their own eyes and hands.

There is a modern parallel to this.  If there is anything which distinguishes the modern man from his predecessors, it is doubt.  Challenge everything!  Test everything!  It is the root of the scientific age.  The scientist understands what the common man does not:  the difference between questing curiosity and cynical doubt.  One says, "I wonder how/why that works?"  The other says, "It will never work.  I won't believe it."  The former produces science;  the latter the brooding cynicism which passes for a view of reality in our day.

The result of this cynicism is anxiety.  If all things are to be doubted;  if all things are to be debunked and exposed as frauds, then nothing is true, nothing is secure—and there is no hope.  No hope, and therefore no peace.

Jesus knows this;  he begins here with "Peace be with you."  He then tells them why they have no peace.  They trusted him before, but now they are troubled and in doubt.  Peace comes only with trust in what is pure, true and right.  Doubt and agitation are the enemies of true peace.  They must learn again to trust, this time in the one who has conquered sin and death.  The light shines in the darkness—the Light of the world.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

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[nChrist]

November 20

The Holy Spirit

Joh_20:19-23

As the Father has sent me

Just how did the Father send his Son ?

He sent him into certain humiliation and suffering.  The Lord of Glory, the One who thought nothing of being equal to God, is sent to earth as a baby, born in a conquered country.  He grows up, lives and dies—a horrible death.  The humiliation is in the descent from glory to the Cross;  the suffering in the Cross itself.

He sent him as a servant.  The Son of Man came to serve.  He heals the sick, raises the dead, gives sight to the blind, instructs the seeker.  He makes a deliberate point of performing the lowest of service for his disciples so that they might learn to serve each other.  He who had angels all around becomes the servant of all.

He sent him to seek and save the lost.  Jesus did not come just to teach us "nice things."  He came, most deliberately, to be the sacrificial Lamb of God.  It was for our salvation that he came.  He now asks us to be ambassadors of that reconciliation.

The Holy Spirit, and forgiveness

We are inclined to separate the verses here.  He gave the Holy Spirit, then said something about forgiveness.  It is not so.  He gave the Holy Spirit so that we might convey his forgiveness.  Are any of us so loving as to be able to forgive all who have offended us?  Perhaps some, maybe most—but all?

So, then, we are sent as he was sent;

We are sent to humiliation and suffering—but strengthened by the Holy Spirit, we can endure.  Enduring, and led by the Spirit, we can forgive.

We are sent to a life of service—and therefore we must find the humility to serve in the Spirit, for our own pride would not permit it.

We are sent to seek and save the lost, as ambassadors of reconciliation.  How shall we do this?  By bringing them forgiveness.  By whose power and authority are we to forgive?  That of Jesus, the Lamb of God.  How can we rise to such spiritual heights?  Only by the Holy Spirit.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________

[nChrist]

November 21

Doubting Thomas

Joh_20:24-31

It is a remarkable thing, how our Lord deals with the doubt of one disciple.  Thomas is a stubborn man:

He has been with Jesus for these three years—and with his fellow disciples—and he is just not going to believe it.  It is scientifically impossible, it can't happen, and therefore it didn't happen.

Thomas is so sure of this that he won't even trust the evidence of his eyes.  He's going to have to put his hands in that side, his fingers in those nail holes.  Eyeballs are just not enough.

Yet with this attitude our Lord makes it a point to appear at a time when Thomas is present.  Why?  Did he not ask the Father that the disciples would be one, as He and the Father are one?

The supremacy of Christ

If the man is stubborn about believing, when he changes his mind there is no half measure.  In two short phrases he gives us the ultimate supremacy of Jesus Christ:

My Lord—how often we forget this!  It is our surrender to his Lordship that makes us what we are.  It is our acknowledgment of his authority to command that turns us from rebels against God to citizens of his kingdom.

My God—only God could have such a right, and Thomas acknowledges here that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed God in the flesh, the Son of God as well as Son of Man.

Blessed are those who have not seen

Have you ever said, "I wish I had lived in the times of Jesus.  Then my faith would be so strong?"  Are you sure of that?  Many of Jesus' early disciples fell away from him.  They saw what we have not seen, and still did not believe.

"But if I only saw one miracle, I would totally believe."  Would you really?  Or would you soon be questioning yourself, saying, "Did I really see that?"  Faith is a decision, not a fact.  The facts are there—they always have been—but the decision is still ours.  God forces no one to believe, for God is love.  An ideology presumes the right to point a gun at your head;  love would never do such a thing.  So it is that our Lord offers you the opportunity for greater blessing because you have not seen.  You have heard;  you have examined the evidence;  do you believe?

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
Full Featured - Outstanding - Completely FREE - No Strings Attached

(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________