March 31 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

In March we read the gospel of John. John wrote his gospel so that his readers would know and believe the claims of Jesus. Those who do have everlasting life here and now.

Bible Reading:

John 20:24–31

Bible Text:

"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).

Devotional:

You have never seen Jesus. Neither have I. But do you and I believe?

John wrote the book we have read to tell us who Jesus is. We have heard the account of many witnesses. We have read descriptions of what Jesus did—he changed water into wine and raised Lazarus from the dead. "I wrote these things," said John, "so that you, dear reader, might believe and have life."

The strongest statement about Jesus' identity comes from Thomas, a disciple who could not and would not believe that Jesus had come back from the grave. Yet when the Lord stood before him a full week after the resurrection, Thomas said what nobody had ever said before. He confessed, "My Lord and my God!"

Thomas saw God in Jesus and Jesus as God. He made an apostolic confession and a personal creed. My Lord and my God.

Maybe you and I are a bit jealous of Thomas because he was permitted to see and touch the Lord of glory, victor of the grave. Maybe we sometimes think, "Oh, Thomas, you blessed man...."

But Jesus lays the beatitude on us! "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed!" Blessed is the church after Pentecost, for which the Word and the Spirit are enough.

Christ comes to us right now, through his Word and Spirit. The Word and Spirit come together. Now it is our turn to kneel and confess, "My Lord and my God!"

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.