When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
- Matthew 28:17
In general, when we seek out a community where we choose to belong, we gravitate to what connects us. In the Christian community, we are rooted in love and focused on God. While God is perfect, we are not. Belonging to this Christian community, however, does not require "perfect faith". It just requires that we work together to strengthen our faith in our journey.
What I have learned is that a good community is one where we feel safe to admit our insecurities and imperfections. In the small group bible studies and church community, there are times when I struggle with faith, doubt and have questions. I trust my church family enough to disclose to them when I am having challenges. And similarly, when others struggle, I am also there for them. I may not know everything, but we can be there for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Ultimately, a good Christian community should not judge, but rather encourage you, pray for you, and help point you to scripture to find answers. The reality is that once we believe in Christ, it doesn't mean that our faith will be flawless and untested. On the contrary, we will be tempted, we will doubt, and we will have challenges where we will need to lean on God, the bible, and others to help us maintain and build our faith.
Consider the 11 disciples after Jesus's death. The disciples had seen all the miracles Jesus had performed. When Jesus was raised from the dead, and appeared before the disciples, the disciples knew him enough to worship him. Yet, there were still some who doubted Jesus. After all, how unbelievable is it that Christ had come back from the dead? God makes the impossible possible, but it can still be hard for us to understand and believe because it is so extraordinary.
Now, consider that these disciples had the opportunity to follow Jesus and serve with Him, and see Him with their own eyes, and yet still some doubted. If they doubted, then it is reasonable that there will be times when we doubt too. It's human for us to doubt. What is important, however, is that we recognize that the doubt is a sign that sometimes it just takes a moment and contemplation for us to recognize the truth. Just don't let doubt take over and don't dismiss the truth. Jesus stood before the disciples and some were still doubting the truth. This is where we can learn from the narratives and learn to do better. Faith requires work and the resurrection is extraordinary. It takes a big leap of faith to believe in something so extraordinary. But it's worth it. Believing in the resurrection is core to the Christian belief because it is through Jesus's death and resurrection that we are saved. It is the basis of our salvation.
Reflection: Do you believe in the resurrection?
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Believing in the Resurrection is the topic of this week's devotional as we learn about doubt and faith. Enjoy contemporary worship music, hymns, instrumental music, and weekly blogs on Christian Calm Radio.