Bible Reading: Ezra 3,4 &5; John 20
“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not, and yet have believed” John 20:29 (KJV)
Most of us are like Thomas; we can hardly believe anything we did not see. In Christ, those who have not seen but yet believe are accounted as blessed. How many of us have seen Christ? Yet we believe in Him. How many of us were there in His crucifixion? Yet we believe it took place. In Christianity the emphasis is on believe, and not on seeing. When we believe what the word of God says we are exercising true faith. The guilt that Thomas felt after being corrected by Jesus Christ produced a powerful revival in India. Sonship in the Kingdom is totally based on believe, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” John 1:12 (KJV). When we believe the promises of God in the scriptures and act on them we are exercising faith, that is why the writer of Hebrews defined faith in this way, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1 (KJV).
The worldly practice of believing only what you see is in clear contradiction with the teaching of Christ. The people of the world work in the flesh and seeing ends in the realm of the flesh, while in Christianity we work by faith which is spiritual. Working by flesh is carnal while working by faith is spiritual. Working carnally is completely at variance with the Christian doctrine because as the scripture puts it “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” Romans 8:6 (KJV). Christianity is for the living. A carnal mind cannot understand the things of the spirit, they are opposed to each other “because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” Romans 8:7(KJV).
My dear reader, the moment you believe and accept Christ into your life you have stepped into the spiritual. You begin to nurture your new realm of the spirit by feeding on the word of God which is the food of the spirit. As you partake in this spiritual exercise you begin to be spiritually minded which is pleasing unto God. A carnal mind cannot please God.
Prayer: Father I beseech You to grant me the grace to live spiritually minded all through my sojourn on this earth.
Bro. Joel Ezeugo