See or Believe
See or Believe
“Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” John 20:29
The movie “The Polar Express” explores the question of ‘what does it take to believe?’ So many in our world equate seeing with believing. If they can see it, touch it, or experience it firsthand then they will believe it. People in Jesus’ time had the same perspective. Even though they were familiar with the prophecies about the birth of the Messiah, they would only believe it when they saw it. Many saw it, and still did not believe.
Dictionary.com defines believe ‘to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so”. What constitutes proof? The Jewish leaders had the scriptures and did not believe. Many people heard Jesus teach on the kingdom of God and witnessed His miracles and still did not believe. Today, Jesus is clearly evident in the lives of His people, and still people do not believe.
Belief takes trust and confidence. Belief takes what we often refer to as ‘a leap of faith’. At some point we have to trade relying on what we see with our senses for relying on what we believe in our heart. That does not mean we throw out evidence; the evidence exists in the historical accounts of Jesus life and death, in the evidence of lives restored and healed, and, hopefully, in the daily actions of His followers.
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart” – Helen Keller. Christmas, the coming of Jesus, is the most beautiful thing to happen to this world. We may not be able to see Jesus with our eyes or touch Him with our hands, but we feel Him in our hearts. We believe in Him. We believe without seeing.
Father God, thank you that Jesus came to this world to redeem it. Strengthen our faith that we might always believe even when we cannot see, especially when our circumstances challenge our belief. This Christmas, let us feel the beauty and wonder of believing. In His name, Amen.
Written by Reenie Peppers
“Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” John 20:29
The movie “The Polar Express” explores the question of ‘what does it take to believe?’ So many in our world equate seeing with believing. If they can see it, touch it, or experience it firsthand then they will believe it. People in Jesus’ time had the same perspective. Even though they were familiar with the prophecies about the birth of the Messiah, they would only believe it when they saw it. Many saw it, and still did not believe.
Dictionary.com defines believe ‘to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so”. What constitutes proof? The Jewish leaders had the scriptures and did not believe. Many people heard Jesus teach on the kingdom of God and witnessed His miracles and still did not believe. Today, Jesus is clearly evident in the lives of His people, and still people do not believe.
Belief takes trust and confidence. Belief takes what we often refer to as ‘a leap of faith’. At some point we have to trade relying on what we see with our senses for relying on what we believe in our heart. That does not mean we throw out evidence; the evidence exists in the historical accounts of Jesus life and death, in the evidence of lives restored and healed, and, hopefully, in the daily actions of His followers.
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart” – Helen Keller. Christmas, the coming of Jesus, is the most beautiful thing to happen to this world. We may not be able to see Jesus with our eyes or touch Him with our hands, but we feel Him in our hearts. We believe in Him. We believe without seeing.
Father God, thank you that Jesus came to this world to redeem it. Strengthen our faith that we might always believe even when we cannot see, especially when our circumstances challenge our belief. This Christmas, let us feel the beauty and wonder of believing. In His name, Amen.
Written by Reenie Peppers
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