You.

Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. John 20, verse 29 Thomas, one of Jesus twelve disciples, has received the dubious designation as the doubter, while the other disciples believed that Jesus resurrection from the dead was the real deal. Thomas gets headline attention for buying into the ancient philosophy that says that seeing is believing. Unless I see the nail prints in his hands, I will not believe, he said. Like many others in his day and in ours, seeing is believing. But is it? In the day of computer generated images, Photoshop and amazing editing techniques that are available to just about anyone, can we know with any certainty that what we see in a photograph or a video is real or not? Go to watch any good magician perform and you'll end up leaving and wondering if you can believe anything you see. If you're a hunter, you know that your eyes can play tricks on your mind, turning rocks and bushes into the quarry you are seeking. Some laugh at faith and say that it's blind. There is some truth in that the things of God are not always plainly visible, at least to the human eye, and must be accepted by faith rather than sight. But the Bible says that we are to live by faith, not by sight, and Jesus praised those who accepted him by faith, even when no visual confirmation was at hand. Some who came to Jesus said that they would believe in him if he performed a miracle. Jesus refused to give them what they wanted. He wants people to believe because they trust him regardless of whether he performs miracles or not. For those who believe, no miracle is needed. For those who don't believe, no miracle is ever good enough. Seeing is not believing. Faith is being certain of what we do not see. And without such faith, it is impossible to please God. So blessed indeed are those who have not seen yet believe.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to [email protected] have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.