Weekend Speaker: Ben Sigman
Theme: Is It Just Me... Who Has Doubts?
Read: Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 11:2-3
Think: There are some things in life that we need to outgrow. Piano lessons, Barbie dolls, math homework, summer camp, SAT tests, naps, and accepting money from parents are all fine when we’re young. But at some point, shouldn’t we get past the need for these? OK, maybe I’m wrong about naps, but aren’t the others a sign of youth and immaturity?
It’s tempting to think of doubt as something we should outgrow. We tend to believe that as we grow older, we accumulate knowledge and experience, and should therefore have less need to doubt. Such a tendency can be especially strong about spiritual things. We understand that those who haven’t made a decision for Christ, or those who are still relatively new to the faith might have doubts. The disciple Thomas is our example. Immediately after Jesus’ resurrection, he doubted. But once he got proof – miraculous proof – Thomas became a strong and faithful apostle. We expect our own doubts to be resolved like Thomas’ were, leaving us strong and faithful, too.
On Sunday at the Redmond campus, Pastor Kip reminded us of another New Testament example of a doubter, John the Baptizer. John’s case is different from Thomas’ in one striking way: John doubted after he had seen miraculous evidence of Jesus’ uniqueness. In Matthew 3, John instinctively recognizes Jesus as superior to himself, and is hesitant to baptize Jesus. After he follows Jesus instructions and does baptize him, John sees the Spirit of God come from heaven in the form of a dove and rest on Jesus, accompanied by God’s voice proclaiming audibly that Jesus is His Son.
But some months later, John doubts whether Jesus is truly the one sent by God. Sadly, I think I can relate better to John than to Thomas. No matter how many times and how many ways I’ve experienced God’s love, I am prone to doubt it. Fortunately, in his doubt, John showed us that the right way to deal with doubt is to admit those doubts directly to Jesus. As we allow, God will increase our faith.
No matter how long we have God in our lives, doubt will come to us. The measure of our maturity is not the elimination of doubt, but wisdom in dealing with the doubt we encounter.
Do: Is there something less-that-ideal from your youth that is still part of your life? Photos from your prom? Your mother’s tuna casserole recipe? Acne? Such things will always be part of your life, and you’ve learned to deal with them. Try to put doubt in that category by learning to deal with it effectively.
Pray: God, to be honest, I’d rather not doubt at all. I’d like to outgrow all of my doubts, but I’m not sure that will happen this side of heaven. Instead, teach me to deal with my doubts constructively, turning to you for answers and assurance. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.