Monday, May 15, 2017

Faith and Seeing Miracles

20Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.e For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:20-24)

Thoughts: There are times when we say to ourselves, "If I had been there, and I had seen the miracles that Jesus did- healing the blind, deaf, lame, raising the dead, calming the storm, walking on water, feeding the 5,000, then I would surely believe stronger.  Ironically, many of the people who see these miracles do not believe.  Judas saw them all.  The people of Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum saw them all.  The Israelites who saw the mighty plagues against Egypt soon forgot to trust God and complained in the desert and thought they could not conquer the giants of Canaan.  I have known people who have been miraculously preserved from death or have seen a clear answer to prayer yet no longer come to worship.  How can this happen?  Does God care?  If God comes so near us and we still ignore Him, we are held that much more accountable.  Truth is, faith is always a matter of trust and seeing faith affirmed with our eyes does not always mean we will believe long-term.  Today you can go to Israel and see the ruins of these three cities.  When I went I literally saw jackals and owls there.  

Prayer: Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.  Give me a grateful heart to appreciate it when I see you at work.  

No comments:

Post a Comment