A more literal rendering of the risen Jesus' words to Thomas is: "Do not be unbelieving, but believing." (John 20:27) Faith, says the Bible, is a gift, not something we can decide to have. But it won't come or grow if we refuse to stand under, listen to the witness about Jesus.

I'm a former atheist who, for a decade, refused to listen to or believe in the witness for Jesus, as God the Son, Who died and rose for us. Then, in the fellowship of an amazing congregation, I started to listen: to the down-to-earth Christians who loved and were...

...grateful to Jesus for God's charitable love, His grace; to the Word of Scripture and the Word shared in sermons and gatherings. As I began to stand under this witness, I began to understand. More than that, God gave me faith...

...To my surprise, my not believing began to give way to believing.

I daily struggle with unbelief. I do this because (1) Like the rest of the human race, I prefer being my own god, calling my own shots, making my own way, pretending to be self-sufficient...

...(2) To borrow a phrase, "it's harder to believe than not to" ( @SteveTaylorTPF), easier to believe in the dying stuff of the world that I can see and think I can control, than a Savior Who is wild, untamed, and uncontrollable, but Who is also supremely good, perfect,...

...Who has conquered sin, death, and the devil and sits at God the Father's right hand interceding for people like you and me.

But as I "stand under" Jesus and His Word: praying in His name, worshiping with His people, receiving His body and blood...

...My unbelief, my functional atheism, gives way to belief. I trust in Jesus because I've found no one and nothing more trustworthy than Him and because, miraculously and unaccountably, He empowers me to believe in Him and as He builds my faith in Him by the power...

...of the Holy Spirit, I find myself wondering how it is I ever disbelieved, how it is I ever doubt Him even now.

When Thomas saw that Jesus was actually risen from the dead, His flesh and blood and even His ability to be hungry for food, restored...

...He fell at Jesus' feet and worshiped Jesus as He deserves to be worshiped, telling Jesus, "My Lord and my God."

Jesus answered, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”...

...When we're able to confess Jesus as our Lord and God, we are among those people called "blessed," "blissed out" as a mentor and seminary professor once rendered the word.

Be blessed. Stand under the true witness about Jesus as God and Lord, the conqueror of your sins...

...your death. He will work the gift of faith in You. And if you, like even the most devout of believers, find yourself sometimes not believing, remember Jesus' words to Thomas...

...More than that, remember the honest, exemplary, and saving faith of the man who told Jesus, while both wrestling to believe and placing Himself under Jesus' loving authority: "I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

I pray some version of that prayer every day...

...And every day, I find God empowering me to believe in Jesus: the way, the truth, and the life, the One Who makes it possible for us to be with God now and forever.

#unbelief #faith #standingunderJesus #witnessaboutJesus #JesusGodtheSon #belief