"The next day He decided to go to Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, 'Follow Me.' Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets also wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!' Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good be from Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.' Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, 'Here is truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!' Nathanael said to Him, 'How do You know me?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.' Nathanael answered Him, 'Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.' And He said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.'" -John 1:43-51 (NASB)
"Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!'
But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.'
Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!'
Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'" -John 20:24-29 (NIV)
"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" -Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Introduction:
God is part of our lives. We know Him and we can continually learn more about God and grow in our relationship with Him. As we follow God and develop a deeper and deeper relationship with Him, we should want to share the blessings of God with others. Sometimes the people in our lives may not be open to having conversations about God and Jesus. It is in these moments that we just need to be prepared to extend an invitation. We can say, "Come and see!"
Sharing God through our words is one way to spread God's message of love and redemption. We can also live our faith in God so others can see God's active presence in our lives. However, we can also invite others to look and see God's presence in the world. In the midst of everything that happens in the world, we can find God. We can look for God and we can help others to come, see, and experience God!
Sunday:
Even though we know God is active in our lives, there are times when we may begin to doubt. When we start to doubt, we may become focused on our doubt and drift further from God. Instead of focusing on our doubt, we need to seek Jesus. We can call on Him and He will be there for us. We can then focus on Jesus, our relationship with Him, and our faith in God!
*Have you ever felt doubt? How do you respond when you feel doubt or feel you are drifting away from God?
*How can calling on Jesus help you overcome doubt?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your blessings and presence in my life. Allow me to see You no matter what I am facing in life and help me to share You with others in my life. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Monday:
God is active in our lives. Even in our darkest days, we can be assured that God is with us. There may be times when we have doubts about events in our lives. We may wonder the purpose of our experiences. No matter what we are facing in life, we can stop to see how God is working in our lives. We can count the blessings from God!
*What are the miracles or blessings that God has provided in your life?
*When have you felt the presence of God? How could you share these experiences with someone so they can see God in their lives?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your blessings and presence in my life. Allow me to see You no matter what I am facing in life and help me to share You with others in my life. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Tuesday:
Jesus calls all of us to spread His message. As believers and followers of God and Jesus, we are to go out into the world and help others to come to know God and to know Jesus as their Savior. Each of us may have a different vision of what this means. As we prepare to share the Good News, we need to know ourselves. God created each of us to be unique. Even though we are all called to spread the Good News, we may have different approaches based on the talents that God has given us!
*What talents has God given you?
*How can you use these talents to share the Good News?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your blessings and presence in my life. Allow me to see You no matter what I am facing in life and help me to share You with others in my life. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Wednesday:
As followers of God, we are called to spread God's message. Sometimes we look for the right moment or the perfect words. When we are sharing the Good News, we can call on God and rely on Him to guide us. We may not need to say much at all. We can pray to God, listen to Him, and share Him with others in our lives!
*When have you been presented with opportunities to share the Good News? How did you respond?
*How can you improve the ways in which you spread the Good News?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your blessings and presence in my life. Allow me to see You no matter what I am facing in life and help me to share You with others in my life. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Thursday:
There are times when we make judgments of others. Our judgments may be conscious or unconscious. However, the ideas that we have can impact how we receive and share information. Nathanael had a negative view of Nazareth, but changed his mind after he met Jesus. When we are receiving information, we need to be sure we are truly listening to and receiving all that God is showing and telling us!
*What are some judgments that are impacting how you are receiving God's message?
*How can you overcome biases and judgments so you can hear God?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your blessings and presence in my life. Allow me to see You no matter what I am facing in life and help me to share You with others in my life. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Friday:
When we interact with others, stereotypes, biases, and judments can interfere with sharing God's Good News. When we head out into the world, we need to remember that God loves each and every person. God is able to work in all of our lives. As we invite others to come and see God and all of His glory, we need to be prepared to extend this invitation to everyone!
*What could be stopping you from hearing and sharing God's message with everyone?
*What are stereotypes or biases that lead to judgments? How can you overcome these so you can share the Good News with everyone?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your blessings and presence in my life. Allow me to see You no matter what I am facing in life and help me to share You with others in my life. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Saturday:
Once we have shared the Good News, we can celebrate with other believers. We can see all the ways that God works in our lives and in the lives of all members of His family. We can support each other, lift each other up, and collectively draw nearer to God. We can praise and glorify God as one body of believers!
*How is God working in your life?
*What are you doing to praise and glorify God?
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for Your blessings and presence in my life. Allow me to see You no matter what I am facing in life and help me to share You with others in my life. In Jesus' name I pray, amen