April 7 at sundown - Day 8
Today is day 8 of counting the Omer
Today is day 8 out of Egypt
Today is day 8 of Messiah Resurrected
Stop Doubting and Believe! (John 20:19-29)
Yeshua Appears to the Disciples
19 It was evening on that day, the first of the week. When the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Judean leaders, Yeshua came and stood in their midst! And He said to them, “Shalom aleichem!”
20 After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21 Yeshua said to them again, “Shalom aleichem! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
22 And after He said this, He breathed on them. And He said to them, “Receive the Ruach ha-
Kodesh!
23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; but if you hold back, they are held back.”
24 One of the Twelve, Thomas called the Twin, was not with them when Yeshua came.
25 The other disciples were saying to him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he replied to them, “Unless I see the nail prints in His hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand in His side, I will never believe!”
26 Eight days later the disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Yeshua comes, despite the locked doors. He stood in their midst and said, “Shalom aleichem!”
27 Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe!”
28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Yeshua said to Him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet have believed!”
Reflect:
Thomas was capable of both great devotion (John 11:16) but also skepticism (John 14:5). Aren’t we all like this? Regardless of how faithful God has been to us in the past, when we are confronted with a situation that demands faith we instead choose to doubt. At moments like this, we need to remember Yeshua’s encouragment to Thomas: “Stop doubting and believe!” There will always be moments when our trust in the Lord wavers, but at times like these we need to exercise our faith and choose to believe instead of doubting.
Prayer: Lord, help us to tame our doubt. We want to know You better and trust You more. Remind us that You are a God who can work miracles even in the face of death! Amen!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Restoration, we have made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. During this season of counting of the Omer, we have decided to do this collectively as a congregation in the days leading up to Shavuot. Together, we want to trust in His power to impact our lives, our congregation, our city, and our world. The last 10 days we will encourage a corporate time of fasting and prayer, which starts the evening of May 9 and ends the evening of May 19. The conclusion of this season of prayer will culminate in a congregational picnic on the 50th day, the day of Shavuot - Sunday, May 20 at noon.
23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; but if you hold back, they are held back.”
24 One of the Twelve, Thomas called the Twin, was not with them when Yeshua came.
25 The other disciples were saying to him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he replied to them, “Unless I see the nail prints in His hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand in His side, I will never believe!”
26 Eight days later the disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Yeshua comes, despite the locked doors. He stood in their midst and said, “Shalom aleichem!”
27 Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe!”
28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Yeshua said to Him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet have believed!”
Reflect:
Thomas was capable of both great devotion (John 11:16) but also skepticism (John 14:5). Aren’t we all like this? Regardless of how faithful God has been to us in the past, when we are confronted with a situation that demands faith we instead choose to doubt. At moments like this, we need to remember Yeshua’s encouragment to Thomas: “Stop doubting and believe!” There will always be moments when our trust in the Lord wavers, but at times like these we need to exercise our faith and choose to believe instead of doubting.
Prayer: Lord, help us to tame our doubt. We want to know You better and trust You more. Remind us that You are a God who can work miracles even in the face of death! Amen!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Restoration, we have made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. During this season of counting of the Omer, we have decided to do this collectively as a congregation in the days leading up to Shavuot. Together, we want to trust in His power to impact our lives, our congregation, our city, and our world. The last 10 days we will encourage a corporate time of fasting and prayer, which starts the evening of May 9 and ends the evening of May 19. The conclusion of this season of prayer will culminate in a congregational picnic on the 50th day, the day of Shavuot - Sunday, May 20 at noon.
No comments:
Post a Comment