3-Day Bible Reading Plan: Doubt is a Doorway, Not a Dead End
“In my life, I have had long and difficult seasons of doubt. I have come to realize that those seasons haven’t resulted in my faith being weakened but rather my faith being strengthened. I think doubt gets a bad rap. Doubt is not the place where faith dies, but is rather good soil for faith to grow. If doubt has caused you to step away from God and the church or it has slowed your spiritual growth, I want to encourage you to change your perspective on doubt.” - Pastor Paul Crandell
BIG IDEA: Doubt is a Doorway, Not a Dead End
Day 1
Featured Verse: John 20:24-25 - “Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’”
Cross References:
Matthew 14:30-31 - “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”
Mark 9:23-24 - “And Jesus said to him, ‘“If you can”! All things are possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’”
Luke 24:38 - “And he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?’”
Reflection:
Doubting Thomas - Thomas has always gotten a “bad reputation” when it comes to doubting the Resurrection, but if we’re honest, we’ve all had doubts at one time or another. When is a time you doubted, yet God came through for you?
Touching the Nail Prints - If, ultimately, Thomas believed simply by seeing Christ, why do you think he demanded to touch Christ’s nail prints?
A Hidden Hope - Place yourself in Thomas’s shoes and think about all the other disciples witnessing the resurrected Christ but you. Would you think they were playing a cruel joke? Or would you be hurt the Lord didn’t appear to you? Take a moment and ponder the possibility that Thomas’s heart was raw, not hard. Who can survive crucifixion? Yet the Lord didn’t appear to appease his doubt for eight more days. Why do you think the Lord waited to reveal Himself to Thomas?
“Doubting does not prove that a man has no faith, but only that his faith is small. And even when our faith is small, the Lord is ready to help us.” - J.C. Ryle
Day 2
Featured Verse: John 20:26-27 - “Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although 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, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’”
Cross References:
Luke 24:39-40 - “‘See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.”
John 21:7 - “That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.”
Mark 5:35-36 - “While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’”
Reflection:
An Answered Prayer - When Christ returned eight days later, He immediately addressed Thomas. In fact, He appeared only for Thomas’s sake! While Thomas doubted, he did not murmur, scoff, or scorn. Consider that an honest doubt, presented humbly to the Lord, is a prayer seeking to believe.
Only Believe - To believe regardless of circumstance or negative past results is to have a childlike faith. Christ stressed again and again that nothing is impossible with God. What has been an impossible hurdle or stronghold in your life that God has removed or overcome?
Not Even Death - Death is the ultimate end. No one returns from that dark door—it is impossible. Yet Christ gave hope to the ruler of the synagogue after the death of his daughter, and to Mary and Martha after the death of Lazarus. If Christ has proved death itself can be undone, why do you think we continue to doubt Him for lesser things?
“The valley of the shadow of death holds no darkness for the child of God. There must be light, else there could be no shadow. Jesus is the light. He has overcome death.” - D.L. Moody
Day 3
Featured Verse: John 20:28-29 - “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”
Cross References:
Matthew 16:15-16 - “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”
John 14:8-9 - “Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”?’”
1 Peter 1:8 - “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.”
Reflection:
Wait Upon the Lord - The man who had adamantly refused to believe in the Lord’s Resurrection was now ripe to believe it on sight of Christ alone. God used those eight days to marinate Thomas in his doubt, and perhaps humble him in it. What lessons do you think God taught him in his wait to see the risen Christ? What lessons might you learn if God is making you wait in your doubt?
Jesus is God - No one can raise themselves from the dead. There is only one Being who can make the dead come alive, and that is God. The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ proved He is God in flesh. Do you believe this? If you do but still doubt, ask the Lord to help your unbelief. Make your doubt a doorway to faith.
My Lord and My God! - Thomas didn’t merely proclaim Christ as “Lord and God” but as “my Lord and my God.” He was swept away by overwhelming joy and faith. The Lord had returned for his sake alone. The Lord Himself laid waste to his doubts. Christ loved Thomas in his doubt; He was willing to allow him to place his hands in His wounds. That personal knowing of Christ’s love—for you—is what makes your faith shine like the sun at full strength. If you do not know Christ’s love for you personally, ask Him to reveal it, and cry out with Thomas’s heart of praise, “My Lord and my God!”
“If you are resting on Him who lived, and loved, and died, that He might wash us from our sins in his blood,—I say, if He be all thy salvation and all thy desire, then hesitate not to say, “My Beloved is mine.” There is no surer claim in the world than the claim of faith. God has given Christ to every believing sinner,—be he who he may...Christ is his, and shall be his forever. Poor trembler, if thou believest on Him, even thou mayest say, ‘My Beloved is mine.’” - Charles Spurgeon