I wish you believed....

Have you ever found an amazing thing? A great product...something that once you tried it wholeheartedly and witnessed the amazingness of it, you were convinced that you were deprived up to the moment you found it...and that you will never be without it again...and you want everyone you know to have it too?

What was it?

Did you tell your friends about it when they came over? Did they go out and get one?
Did you let your mom try it out, your dad? Do they have one? How 'bout your brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, cousin, grandma, grandpa, neighbor, best friend?

I am one of those people. If I find something that is proof positive everything it claims to be and it is amazing and life-transforming, I shout it from the rooftops.

If you read my stuff, you know where I'm going with this right?

The best thing I've ever came across was the story of Jesus Christ. Eleven years ago I heard of the most amazing opportunity. The best thing I bought into and have never cashed in for my 30-day money back guarantee.

The amazing, life-transforming part about His story is that it's really real...when you just believe.

NOTE: Faith is not skepticism.

I have some friends here and there who say they gave Jesus a chance...but they didn't do it WHOLEHEARTEDLY with FAITH...and WITHOUT SKEPTICISM. So quite frankly, they didn't give Him a fair chance...they didn't quite believe.

I would love to sit down and have coffee with those friends of mine and tell them something like the following (with duct tape over their mouths to avoid a debate and a rebuttal because that's not my heart or intentions.):

I wish you believed...I really do.
I wish you believed that I am not a liar.

I wish you believed I'm not trying to convert you to something that will rip your life off and waste your time. I wish you believed that I truly do care about you and where you will be for eternity.

I wish you believed what the Bible said is true and that it had ultimate authority in your life (...oh how simple life can be if you just stick to God's opinion on stuff ).

I wish you believed Jesus is who He says He is, and I wish you believed all the accounts of people who witnessed His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection...and the witnesses who saw His pierced hands.

I wish you believed that an amazing almighty, omnipotent, omnipresent God created you into the unique masterpiece that you are....and that you're not a fluke by-product of ocean matter or apes evolving.

I wish you believed that God made you in His image to love you and have a day by day connection of relationship with you.

I wish you believed that Jesus is the truth, the life, and the way.

I wish you believed me when I said that the entire story of Jesus Christ is real, and the very fact that I can hear God's voice and you could too transcends any self-serving, self-elevating, man-made religion.

I wished you believed that I care so much about you that I am telling you the truth!

That's what I would say. I am so concerned for so many around me who really truly believe in their own thing. 'As long as I do good'....they say. See it's not that easy.

We all can't do good 100% of the time. Think about it: are your thoughts, words, actions 100% perfect & good...100% of the time?

It's not this life I'm living for. It's eternity. What I believe today will impact me later and forever.

I'm not sure why people just can't believe with a pure heart that Jesus is God and God is pure. He won't hurt you. People who are fallen and not perfect will...but God won't.

Jesus is so purely love and forgiveness, grace and mercy for those who believe in Him. It's amazing - the story of what Jesus did for us on the cross! And it's for everyone to believe!

I wished you believed...

John 20:1-31 - Believing or Disbelieving?

I turned to the Book of John 20 in my Bible today...the title of that section reads "Jesus Rises from the Dead". And that's why Easter is a great celebration for the believing.

Today is why I am who I am.

Jesus Christ is alive - resurrected from the dead...

He overcame death - just like that!

As I read through this chapter, four 'characters' stood out to me today as I read of Jesus' first day of resurrection.

In verse 4 it speaks of Peter and the other disciple running together. The other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter. I love that he was running faster. He was running with great anticipation. Probably with joy, hoping what he was told of Jesus was true, expecting the tomb to be empty.

Go down to verse 8: "So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed". He saw nothing....He saw that Jesus was risen and gone, and so he believed. His great anticipation was met with confirmation!

In verse 11 we meet Mary Magdalene. She stood outside of the tomb weeping. She had great faith before, but now she was mourning...read of her disbelief in verse 13, "...they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him". Her words did not display faith that He had risen.

This reminds me of people who are so focused on the death of the Christ and do not acknowledge that He is risen. There comes a point that we have to turn our attention from the death to the resurrection. Although, it's by His death we are saved and forgiven of our sin...but that's not the end of the story, so we can't stop there!

Even in verse 14 Mary did not realize Jesus was standing in front of her...not until He called her by name in verse 16: Jesus said to her, "Mary!"...then after 'seeing Him' she tried to cling to Him.

Next, in verse 19, we meet 'the disciples' behind locked doors, fearing the Jews. Think about it. This was the group who had followed Jesus throughout His ministry, but now their leader was 'gone'. Who would protect them now?

This is a group of people that I hope I don't find myself in the midst of. I do not want to fear those who do not believe in Christ. I do not want to fear perscecution. I do not want to fear ridicule for my faith in Christ!

I want to stand up boldly for Who I believe in!

And our fourth character is Thomas. He's the "Unless I see His hands...I will not believe" guy. Oh, I am sad for those who refuse to believe in Christ without 'seeing Him'. Jesus knew what Thomas had said and appeared to Thomas, saying "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands...". In verse 27 Jesus said, 'do not be unbelieving, but believing'....Then Thomas believed & confirmed his faith with: "My Lord & my God" (verse 28).

Who are you? Which character are you?

1. The other disciple
2. Mary Magdelene
3. the 'disciples'
4. Thomas

What is so wonderful when you read this chapter is that Jesus appeared to the disbelieving characters: Mary, the group of them with fear, and Thomas. Despite their disbelief, He was still gracious and revealed Himself to them.

Maybe you're disbelieving today...maybe you hope Jesus is real, but you're not sure or willing to take a chance. God will reveal Himself to you - just ask Him to.

But think about what verse 29 says:

"...Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed".

That's who I want to be. That's who I am! I believe what the Bible says, I do not have to see a thing. I want the unconditional love and forgiveness the Bible says Jesus offers and so I accept what the Bible says throughout....And God greets my faith with salvation.

"...these thing have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and

that believing you may have life in His name".

John 20:31

That's who I am....the believing!!!  Won't you join me?

Note: all verses taken from the NASB.