Doubt?

Don’t we all love doubting Thomas. I think he is popular because everyone has doubts. John 20:29 which records the risen Jesus responding to the doubts of Thomas. It states: “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Did you catch it? Jesus includes you and me in his response to Thomas. Even when we doubt, Jesus responds with a blessing and grace,. He didn’t condemn Thomas, but offered him visual proof and blesses us … because our faith is built on trust. It is good to know that our God walks with us in our doubts and responds by blessing us through his love. 

Even in our doubts, we see a God reaching out to us. You know I love ya, Don

What do you turn into when the heat is on?

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her – her husband had cheated on her and she was devastated. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out into a mug. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, ‘Tell me what you see.’

‘Carrots, eggs, and coffee,’ she replied.

Her grandmother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The grandmother then asked the granddaughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the grandmother asked the granddaughter to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened, became weak and compromised. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened and tough. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had not changed, but changed the water.

When we are in God’s presence… God changes the circumstances. “Which are you?”  “When troubles and hard times knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Ask yourself: Which am I?  

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity? Do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.

For the follower of Jesus, His presence is in our lives. We are like the bean, when things are at there worst, Jesus gets better and changes the situation. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, we go to His presence and He is with us, He is along for the ride, and He brings purpose to the struggle.

You know I love ya, Don

What game are you playing?

God’s spirit dwells in us so we can live righteously, as Jesus did. Romans 3:25 states, “God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice …”

Much like a baseball batter getting ready to step up to the plate…a believer is position to hit the ball because of Jesus. You don’t take the bat and ball to a basket ball game, or a soccer game or a hockey game or even a football game…although the Indianapolis Colts might have played a better game last week if they had showed up with a bat and ball … the reality is that the church has been getting into position with their own agenda and forgot we are a people of grace, a people of discipline, and a people positioned in Jesus Christ to face the world.

For God to be just, He must remain true to his own principles. His holiness dictated that “the soul who sins will die” (Ezek. 18:4). The penalty for sin – namely, death – had to be paid in a way that was acceptable to God. God explained through Moses why a blood sacrifice was required… “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” (Lev. 17:11). Science has proven this today… the blood in your body is essential in providing life to your body. A life must be given for a life to be spared.

It was this basis that God positioned himself to redeem us and in return we are positioned to live in Jesus. The Almighty God provided a perfectly sinless sacrifice for all mankind. The only way God’s justice could be satisfied and His holiness could be maintained was for Jesus Christ to take our guilt and sin upon Himself and die in our place.

So we step up to the plate for the game of life and we get ready to hit the mark, growing in faith, drawing closer to God and to each other … because Jesus has positioned us in His redemption.

Our position is to passionate follow Jesus in the power of God’s justification. What game are you playing? The game of survival or the game of proactive and intentional game of living? You know I love ya, Don