Seeing And Believing

25The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20: 25 - 29 NKJV

I've often told Dennis that one of the toughest parts of the whole Christ in us thing is that I cannot physically see He who is in me.  Nor have I ever met Him.  How can I be sure that Jesus even exists that I should receive His Spirit in me?  Has anyone else ever shared this issue?  Each day we are bombarded with sermon and song which tell us that as christians we must suffer in order to come into our Lords glory.  Somewhat like a spiritual toll bridge, our own sufferings pave the way for our rewards in heaven.  The more we suffer and endure, we're told, the greater will our reward be.  This is one of the main reasons why I first had trouble accepting the whole Jesus in me concept.  See, we're told that Jesus suffered and died for us that we would be saved.  So, is Christ therefore suffering again since He is now in us?  Am I to believe that as we suffer, He who is in us suffers as well?  Believe me, I've spent many an hour struggling with these thoughts.  However, I don't believe that I am the only one, not by a long shot.  For as humans we tend to find it easier to trust and believe in something which we can physically see.  At least Thomas did.  Thomas only wanted to see what was in front of him.  Despite the affirmation of his friends that they had indeed seen the risen Christ, Thomas made his bold claim that he could not trust these men whom he had spent so much time with.  "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe"{John 20:25}.  See, Thomas was seeing things as I once did.  I don't think that I am entirely alone in feeling this way either.  Believe me, one of the most common complaints I have heard from others is that I am trusting in something which I cannot see...thanks Thomas.

7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 8Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."
John 14: 7 - 11 NKJV

Then there's Philip.  Yes, I have often prayed out loud to Jesus, crying out for HIm to "show me the Father!"  Again, if I could not see Him then how could He even exist?  Well, in my amateur theology way I will try to explain just why this argument does not hold water.  See, each day I am surrounded by such things which I cannot fully explain and yet they are there in front of me.  I'm no weather man, but I know that the rains of Oregon WILL fall.  It's a fact of life here in the Northwest.  I'm no psychic, but I trust in my heart that the sun will rise each morning.  How can this be?  Somehow, somewhere, there is something by which the winds and tides around us answer to.  Yes, I know that answer already.  It is by our Lords desire that all of this occurs {Genesis 2: 1-2}.  So, why is it that I trust that my heavenly Father created that which is around me but struggle with the unseen Spirit of Christ Jesus in me?  Dennis has mentioned a few times that our Lord is shown through all of His creation, from that which we can see to that which we cannot.  I can't see those atoms around me, but I know in my heart that God made them, and I trust that they are there.  So it must be with knowing that Spirit of Christ in us.  Despite the fact that, like Thomas, we cannot see our Lord, it is BECAUSE of the print of those nails in His hands, the scars on His back and the wounds in His side that we must trust that He remains in us.

 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or eprincipalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Colossions 1: 15 - 17 KJV

~Scott~