If I told you a saw a tree that grew Twizzlers would you believe me? What if I showed you a picture? Would you believe me then? Or would you have to see it for yourself?
I am amazed how much easier it is to believe something once you see it. Why is that? Why is it that we little puny humans have to see something before we truly understand it? It’s ironic to me because our perception is so flawed that even when we see something, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we actually see it.
My Twizzler tree, for example?
- The Twizzler Tree – Peten, Guatemala
Well, it does exist. But it doesn’t grow Twizzlers. It just looks like it does. This is one of the trees in the courtyard of the hotel I stay at in Guatemala when I’m visiting my friends, Jim and Shelley Dinsmore. So even if you believed me because I told you I had seen it, we would both still be wrong because my perception isn’t perfect.
The verse for today is 2 Corinthians 5:7.
For we live by believing and not by seeing.
This is a hallmark verse for a Christian because so much of what we believe about God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit is beyond human perception. Notice I said “so much” and not “all” because there’s a vast amount of what we believe that can be obviously perceived. But when we get right down to the bare bones of Scripture, the Bible tells us to believe things without seeing them.
We are to believe that God created the world, even though we didn’t see that He did it. We are to believe that God is making a place for us in heaven for when Christ comes back to get us, even though we can’t see Him doing it. We are to believe that Jesus is our Savior, even though we can’t see Him. On and on and on it goes, believing things that we haven’t actually seen and have only heard someone tell us about.
Granted, we have the Bible. And despite what many people think, there is more historical evidence for the accuracy of Scripture than any other historical manuscript. Research it. Don’t just listen to me and don’t just listen to other people. Find out for yourself and see that it’s true.
There’s another verse I can’t help but think about. John 20:29. Christ says this after His resurrection, after He appears to the Disciples, after Thomas announces that he won’t believe that Christ is alive until he sees it for himself.
Thomas is often demonized for that statement. And I don’t think that’s right. He just wanted proof. And there’s nothing wrong with asking for proof. There’s nothing wrong with doubting. There’s nothing wrong with asking questions. And you’ll notice if you read John 20:24-29 that Jesus doesn’t rebuke him and doesn’t call him on the carpet. He shows Himself, shows His scars to Thomas, and Thomas believes. And that’s when Christ says this:
“You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
Thomas believed because Jesus appeared to Him and proved Himself to Him. But Jesus is saying that people who believe in Him without seeing Him are blessed. Happy. The Message paraphrases it as saying that “even better blessings” are waiting for people who live by faith instead of by sight.
I don’t know about you, but “even better blessings” sounds pretty good to me. And if Jesus says that believing in Him without seeing Him is better, I’ll take His word for it.
It really all comes down to believing what’s in the Bible. Believing what other people have said. I have never seen Jesus. I have never seen God. I’ve seen evidence of Them in my life and in others’ lives. But face to face? No. I have to wait for that day, and I believe that day is coming. Why? Because the Bible says so. And I have chosen to believe it.
And I can’t help but wonder if Twizzlers really will grow on trees in heaven. Because that would rank pretty high on my list of “even better blessings.”
Always Peachy 