Daily Devotions
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 3:5-6
My father was a great judge of character. Me, I’m not so good. In under and overestimating people I am not alone.
More than a century ago, in the village of Bedford, Ohio, there was a family which was blessed to have two very charming and attractive young ladies. One of these girls was wooed by a suitor by the name of Hayes. Unfortunately, the father thought the young man’s prospects were not good enough to support his daughter. He put down his foot and sent the lad packing.
But as I said there were two daughters in the family. The other girl was also pursued by a young man. His name was Garfield. Sadly, the young man was from a poor family and had no wherewithal to support a wife or children. Once again the father voiced his objections to the relationship, and once again the young man faded out of the life of the man’s daughter.
As I said, I’m not good at judging people, but almost all of us are better than was this father. I’d be interested in having someone calculate the odds of one family, in a town of less than 500 souls, refusing to allow their daughters to marry men who eventually became presidents of the United States.
The odds must be incredible.
Although I’ve never heard, I do hope those two girls eventually got over their heartbreak, found men to love them, and lived happily ever after.
Sadly, I have no such hope for the millions who misjudge Jesus. Islam considers the Carpenter from Nazareth to be a prophet, but nothing more. Modern skeptics think Jesus may have been a brilliant Teacher, a first-class Philosopher, and a Teller of wonderful stories. But if that is all Jesus is to them, they are making a very big miscalculation.
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who was born into this world to save us. Only through Holy Spirit-given faith in Him can we be forgiven of our wrongdoing and be offered eternal life.
It is only when Jesus becomes our Savior that we see Him as He is: the one and only who can rescue us from sin, Satan and death.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, may I always see You as my Savior. Grant that I may let others see the blessed and eternal change You and You alone have given to them. This I ask in Your Name. Amen.