GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO HAVE FAITH, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE NOT SEEN HIM

BIBLE PASSAGE:
They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.  
(Revelation 22:4)

MEDITATION:
One day, all who believe in the Lord and have made a choice 
to allow Him control in their lives, will finally see Him face to face.
Even though Thomas was a follower of Jesus, 
he still struggled with the concept of His resurrection.

When the other disciples told Him they had seen the Lord, Thomas wanted 
to see Him and confirm it was Jesus before He could accept His resurrection.
So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, 
“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails 
were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)

The next time Jesus appeared to the disciples, He encouraged Thomas 
to believe it was truly Him, and to accept His resurrection as a reality.
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.” (John 20:27)

Look at how Thomas responded 
when he realized it was Jesus whom he saw face to face.
We can only imagine the human emotion bursting forth from ‘doubting’ Thomas.
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)

Then Jesus made a statement 
regarding those of us who have not seen Him face to face...yet.
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; 
blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

The world may view Christians as gullible people who believe a myth,
but Jesus says that we are blessed for our faith in Him.
One of the great bonuses of being a Christian is the great hope 
that extends beyond the grave into the glory of God’s tomorrow. 

A little girl was running toward a cemetery 
as the evening darkness began to fall. 
She passed a friend who asked her 
if she was afraid to go through the graveyard at night. 
“Oh, no,” she said, “I’m not afraid. My home is just on the other side!” 
The Lord changes Christians so that we are not afraid of the night of death 
because our heavenly home is “just on the other side”.

Christ’s resurrection changed the midnight of sadness, 
into a sunrise of reunion; 
it changed the midnight of disappointment, into a sunrise of joy; 
it changed the midnight of fear into, a sunrise of peace. 
Today faith and confidence in the resurrected Christ 
can change fear to hope, and disappointment to joy.

ACTION:
Whenever you become discouraged by the way the world views you 
and your beliefs, remember that Jesus said ‘you have been blessed
because of your faith’ even though you have not seen Him face to face.
These are encouraging words from the Lord Himself for all who have chosen 
to follow Him, and forfeited their own will for His Will in their lives.

If you feel you are missing out on the blessings you could receive, more 
than likely there are areas of your life that you have not surrendered to Him.
If you find yourself justifying your acts of disobedience, or convincing 
yourself that what you are doing is okay regardless of what God says,
then you can be assured that you have not totally surrendered to the Lord.

A good self-evaluation is to be honest with yourself 
about your attitudes and how you treat others.
In addition, are you a person who always has to have your way, 
and if you don’t, then you lash out at others 
(including those who refer you to God’s instructions)?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise to those who believe
in Your Son and strive to obey and please You. Whenever I become 
discouraged, remind me of the glorious hope of the day when I will see 
You face to face. When I read about the response of Thomas, I can 
only imagine how much I will be overwhelmed and filled with emotion 
when I see You. Thank You for blessing those who truly believe, even 
when they have not seen You physically, but have experienced Your 
presence in their lives.”

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