Thursday Reading: John 1:43-51
Key Verse: John 1:50
50 Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.
Devotion:
What does it take for you to believe something? Do you actually have to see things happen before you believe them or do you take other people’s word for it? We would all like to believe that we would take other people’s word for some things because we would like to believe that we can trust some people with everything – but we do tend to have a very untrusting heart when it comes down to it. Why? Well, probably because we have been hurt by others through their deceit or through the lies they have told – that then casts doubt on everyone because we may have thought that we could trust them in the beginning.
It is because of that sort of doubt that we tend to doubt many things in our lives – and the disciples where no exception either. I’m sure that they would have faced many lies and much deceit in their time and because of that they would have had what some would call a ‘healthy doubt’ about many things. Well, how healthy is that doubt when it is actually blocking the truth from us?
This is just one of the places in God’s Word where we are reminded that Jesus knew everything – He is omniscient. That is a difficult concept for us to grasp because we only know what we have seen, heard or learned about. We can begin to understand the concept through the knowledge that we do have that we have not had to learn – such as breathing – but actually knowing what goes on inside other people’s heads is a scary thought for us. Many movies have made light of the subject by turning it into a joke but this is no joke for Christ. We certainly do not like it when we overhear what others have said about us or ever to us. We get very upset by what others say. We certainly do not always think about what we say; we don’t think of how it could hurt others before we say it... Have you ever stopped to imagine what Christ must think about what is going on in your mind?
Points to Ponder:
How often do people upset you?
How often do you think you upset God’s people?
Key Verse: John 1:50
50 Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.
Devotion:
What does it take for you to believe something? Do you actually have to see things happen before you believe them or do you take other people’s word for it? We would all like to believe that we would take other people’s word for some things because we would like to believe that we can trust some people with everything – but we do tend to have a very untrusting heart when it comes down to it. Why? Well, probably because we have been hurt by others through their deceit or through the lies they have told – that then casts doubt on everyone because we may have thought that we could trust them in the beginning.
It is because of that sort of doubt that we tend to doubt many things in our lives – and the disciples where no exception either. I’m sure that they would have faced many lies and much deceit in their time and because of that they would have had what some would call a ‘healthy doubt’ about many things. Well, how healthy is that doubt when it is actually blocking the truth from us?
This is just one of the places in God’s Word where we are reminded that Jesus knew everything – He is omniscient. That is a difficult concept for us to grasp because we only know what we have seen, heard or learned about. We can begin to understand the concept through the knowledge that we do have that we have not had to learn – such as breathing – but actually knowing what goes on inside other people’s heads is a scary thought for us. Many movies have made light of the subject by turning it into a joke but this is no joke for Christ. We certainly do not like it when we overhear what others have said about us or ever to us. We get very upset by what others say. We certainly do not always think about what we say; we don’t think of how it could hurt others before we say it... Have you ever stopped to imagine what Christ must think about what is going on in your mind?
Points to Ponder:
How often do people upset you?
How often do you think you upset God’s people?