By Marvin A. McMickle
The blessing is not to those who lived with and walked with Jesus and who saw everything recorded in the Bible. The blessing really belongs to those who cannot prove it, but who do not doubt it. The blessing belongs to those who never saw it, and yet they are willing to stake their lives and their souls on it. The blessing belongs to you and to me, and to anyone else who stands nearly 2000 years removed from Calvary and who continues to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
What is your declaration as we gather today in memory of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead? I hope that you are prepared to declare that Christ is lord. I hope you are prepared to declare that because of him your sins are forgiven. I hope you are prepared to say that you will walk by faith and not by sight. Claim Christ today even though there is much that you do not now understand and may never fully understand. Claim Christ today as the way, the truth and the life. Claim Christ today, even though everything in your present world is not as you wish it to be. Claim Christ today and allow him to reorder your every step. Say what Thomas said after he saw and touched Jesus; my savior and my lord. Only your blessing will be greater than his, because you did not see what Thomas saw and yet you believed.
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I cannot prove that Jesus was born of a virgin mother, but I believe it. I cannot prove that he made the blind t see or the lame to walk or the dead to come back to life. I cannot prove any of that, but I believe all of that. I do not find this blind faith hard to explain, because there are lots of things in my life that I can't prove but that I still believe. I cannot see electricity working, but I believe in electricity. I cannot see gravity working, holding things down and keeping things from floating away. I cannot see it, but I believe in gravity. I cannot prove that a prayer spoken in faith at the bedside of a sick person can have the power to speed up their healing and recovery. I cannot prove it, but my God do I believe it!
Today I stand with Thomas who made his move from doubt to declaration. One week he said that he would not believe that Christ was risen unless he could see it for himself. One week later after Christ made a personal appearance just for Thomas, that doubting disciple could be heard making this declaration; "My Lord and my God." It may be that after Thomas saw Jesus with his own eyes that he started singing the song that we can only sing when we walk by faith and not by sight. That old song says:
You cant' make me doubt him,
You can't make me doubt him,You can't make me doubt him in my heart…
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Marvin A. McMickle is pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland, OH.