I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
A Call to Believe
In John 20:19, after Jesus’ prophesied death and resurrection, we see that all of Jesus’ disciples have gathered, and Jesus went to see them. That is to say, almost all of them—Thomas wasn’t there. And when those who were present told Thomas that they had seen the Lord, Thomas did not believe it.
“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.”
John 20:25 NIV
A week later, when the disciples were gathered together again, Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
Then 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.” (John 20:27 NIV)
Thomas immediately acknowledged that Jesus has, in fact, risen from the dead and is with them again. It’s here that Jesus says, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29 NIV).
Thomas believes, but Jesus is focused on even more than that. Jesus is addressing the rest of us, generations of believers to come who would believe without being able to see Him.
Jesus didn’t just die for us; He rose for us. And He didn’t deny Thomas what he asked for, but He also makes it clear that there is blessing for those who believe without seeing. The truth of His resurrection doesn’t rest on whether or not we’ve seen it. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). For us believers, what a gift to be among these who Jesus calls blessed!
Healed by His Wounds
Brokenness. We see it all around us. We experience it ourselves—in our relationships, in our dreams, in our bodies. And yet, something happened over two thousand years ago that still has the power to heal that brokenness.
1 Peter 2:24 says, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."
Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, took the weight of our sins upon Himself. He carried them to the cross, giving up His life not because of His own wrongdoing, but because of ours. This is the essence of the Gospel. Through His sacrifice, He offered us a path out of darkness and into His light—a life transformed by His grace.
Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we’ve been given a profound healing of our spirits; new life taking the place of sins and darkness that separate us from God. Through His wounds, we are offered forgiveness and a new relationship with God, healed and ...
