‘Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the twelve was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them‘ John 20:24
There was probably a very good reason why Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them in the upper room after His resurrection. It had been a hectic and upsetting time; he probably had business which had to be done. The result was that he missed this wonderful appearance of Jesus.
His absence caused him to disbelieve what he was being told, it just wasn’t possible. Although he probably wasn’t at the foot of the cross when Jesus died he still knew that Jesus was completely dead and had been buried for three days!
Because he was not with the others, he had to suffer further hours of anguish and despair by not having the joy which the other disciples had experienced. He could not, he would not believe, ‘Unless I see… ‘Unless I put my finger… ‘Unless I put my hand… . He was relying on his senses and not on his faith.
How many blessings do we miss because we are not in Christian fellowship? What experiences do we miss because we are going it alone? We are programmed for fellowship, Christian fellowship and we need the help and love of those who are walking along the same path.