31/08/2026
Here's an extract from our Powerful Pondering on Judging Thomas... Who has heard the phrase ‘doubting Thomas’? It comes from a story in the Bible where Thomas has doubts about Jesus’ resurrection. But do you know what happened before that?! In the gospel of John Chapter 11 Jesus is told his friend Lazarus is dead, in Judea. Jesus says he’s going back to Judea, and the disciples are scared. They say all sorts of things reminding Jesus that the authorities in Judea want Him dead, they almost succeeded in their quest to kill Him recently. They know that returning to Judea isn’t a healing mission, it’s a su***de mission. There is debate amongst the disciples and Thomas, who we all know as doubting Thomas, declares, “let us all go, that we may die with Him.” How courageous. To offer up one’s life. To not let a friend, a preacher, a teacher, go alone to His death, but to walk Him every step of the way. So really, the whole ‘doubting Thomas’ thing should be the ‘valiant Thomas’ thing. It got me thinking… How quick are we to judge someone by one moment? It is pretty easy to judge someone, we all do it. But I wonder if we would discern differently if we knew their whole story. Here’s the hook; none of us know anyone’s full story, so none of us have any business judging the other. Only Jesus knows your entire life story. Thinking on it, the longest relationship some of us have in our lifetime is with the Lord. He is the only one who journeys with us from birth to death. That is why it is so important to make it a great relationship, not just one way from Him to you. As human beings, in our core we have an innate need for relationship, and we seek out connection. How glorious it is to have a connection with Our Father! A Father who does not judge. Rather, a Father who listens, who gently guides, who nurtures and loves every step of the way. Even when we are lost in the wilderness, He comes and finds us. We need only say His name and He will be at our side. Wherever you are in your faith journey, invite Jesus into your heart today. Take a moment to say His name and talk to Him. He is waiting for you.