When I See It

Bible Reading: John 20:24-29; 1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 3:1-2

“I’ll believe it when I see it!” said Cole, reaching for a slice of bread.

“Oh, Cole, you always say that,” said Ivy. “It’s like your personal motto. You never believe anything! I really did see a squirrel without a tail!”

“When you think about it, we believe in quite a few things we can’t see,” said Mom as she passed the potatoes. “You believe in the wind, don’t you? And electricity? Many important things in life can’t be seen. Take love, for example. We see evidence of love in words and actions, but we can’t see the love itself.”

“Or friendship,” said Ivy. “You can’t tell by looking at a picture that someone is your best friend.”

“You can’t know if a person is honest just by looking at them either,” said Dad.

“And what about believing in God?” said Ivy. “You can’t actually see Him.”

“That’s true,” Dad replied. “Remember Thomas in the Bible? He insisted he had to see Jesus before he could believe He’d been raised from the dead. Thomas eventually did see Him, but Jesus said those who believe without seeing Him are blessed. We believe through faith.”

“If we didn’t believe without seeing Him, none of us would be Christians,” observed Mom.

“That’s right,” said Dad. “By the way, did you hear who became a Christian at vacation Bible school last week? Pastor Baker told me Ellis Pratt trusted in Jesus.”

“Ellis Pratt!” exclaimed Cole in surprise. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” He looked at his family frowning at him from around the table. “I mean, come on. You know what he’s like!”

“You just wait, Cole,” said Ivy. “Soon you will see—you’ll see the evidence of Jesus in Ellis’s life.”

“Just like we saw how He changed your heart when you were saved,” added Mom.

Cole was silent for a moment. “Okay,” he finally said. “I know God can change him.” He grinned. “Tell you what. From now on my motto will be ‘I know I’ll see it, because I believe it’! Do you like that better?”

“I think that’s a great motto,” said Dad. “Because though we can’t see Jesus now, we believe in Him and know that one day we will see Him face-to-face.” -Lynn Hansen

How About You?

Would you say you only believe in what you can see? What about something like the wind? You know it’s there because you see evidence that it exists. And though you can’t see Jesus, you can see the evidence of His love in the lives of Christians. Believe in Him—He’s real. Trust Him as your Savior today. Then one day you will see Him too.

Today’s Key Verse:
1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen [Jesus], you love him… you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Trust Jesus though you can’t see Him