“But one of the Twelve, Thomas, was not with them when Jesus came…” (John 20:24). We have no record of where he was. We don’t know if he was caught in the marketplace or lingering at home. We aren’t privy to whether he was just moments away or whether he had decided not to join them altogether. We only know that Thomas was not there to see the risen Jesus. All of us know the feeling of kicking yourself for missing something. Sometimes it’s as simple as going to sleep before the 4th quarter of a football game; other times it’s … [Read more...]
Worth the Risk
Over and over we have seen how much Jesus longs to give us abundant lives and yet today we find ourselves not celebrating at a wedding, but mourning at a funeral. Now I am certain none of you came to this blog post because you were worried about missing the hardest parts of life—the suffering, the pain, the trials, the conflict, the darkness. But what if in trying to miss the hardest parts of life we are also missing the best? Last week I was given a beautiful and rare gift: a day with a woman who has suffered greatly. She is … [Read more...]
Testing
Jesus persevered even when His faith was questioned. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Luke 4:10-12 Satan went for the jugular at the end. He asked Jesus if He really believed that God was God and that God would actually take care of Him. When have you questioned whether God was really going to take care of you? … [Read more...]