Scripture Verses
John 20:24-31 (NIV)
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may[a] believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Devotion
How many of us have felt like Thomas in our daily lives? We doubt many things, like our choice of careers or even our faith. We have a state, Missouri, known as the “Show Me” state. I can even remember our mother, when my little sister was born following the births of four boys, saying to the doctor, “Show me.” We insist on being shown the truth, rather than accepting on our faith.
Russia in 1917 was engaged in a revolution. This was followed by a two-year civil war in which the Communists gained control. During the 1920’s atheism was declared the official Russian religion. Many churches were destroyed and thousands of Christians were put to death. Christianity was outlawed and Holy Bibles confiscated. Communism failed in the early 1990’s and Christianity was once again allowed to be public. In 1990, I was given an opportunity to attend a children’s computer camp outside of Pereslavl-Zalessky which is about 130 kilometers north of Moscow. Also at this camp was a group of German students with two teachers, one of whom was a Lutheran minister. One night he was asked to speak and answer question on Christianity. The place was packed. We also visited sites around the Golden Ring of Russia of which many were renovated churches. One had walls decorated with frescos of Biblical stories. The people in charge would not come out and volunteer the stories, but if you asked, they could tell you all the stories you wanted to hear.
I wondered why so many Russians had this interest. I was told that for the seventy-odd years that Christianity was not allowed in public, the grandmothers kept the stories alive by telling them to their grandchildren. These grandmothers never doubted their Savior.
Some people at Mount Auburn know that I was not brought up in the church. My family was lucky if we attended Easter. This is ironic since both of my grandmothers attended church regularly, one at the Church of God and the other at various Methodist churches. Neither of my grandfathers attended church. One of my grandmothers even walked several miles to attend services, because no one would take her. Needless to say, when I was old enough to drive myself, I set off in search of a church home and found Old Bethel United Methodist Church. I am thankful to God that I had my grandmothers as examples and that they never doubted their Savior.
Prayer
Dear God, We give all the glory and praises for what you do for us and through us. Continue to be with us and bless all that we say and do. Help us to demonstrate our faith in you for those around us, including family, friends, co-workers, and others that we come into contact with on a daily basis. Give us the words, tools, and the faith of our grandmothers to bring them to You.
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