Daily Devotions
(Jesus said) “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6b
Today, our weekend devotion begins with a test. Don’t get nervous; you won’t be graded on the true or false questions which follow.
Ready? Here we go.
Question 1 – True or False: The original color of Coca-Cola was brown.
2 – True or False: The state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work is Alaska.
3 – True or False: Mark Twain wrote the first novel on a typewriter.
4 – True or False: Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July Fourth.
5 – True or False: The term “the whole nine yards” comes from W.W. II fighter pilots whose ammo belts were 27 feet long. If they fired all their bullets at a target, that target got the whole nine yards.
So that’s it. How did you do? Sorry, I forgot to share the answers. The answers are all true, at least according to the website from which I took those questions. So, how did you do? If you received 100 percent, congratulations! If you got less than 100 percent, you are probably filled with righteous indignation at the injustice of such a test. You might even challenge: “How can you expect me to know all that stuff. It’s ridiculous. It’s unfair. Nobody should have to know such trivial tripe and twaddle.”
Of course, you might say, “Pastor, you made all this up, didn’t you?”
Yes, you might say that … if you don’t trust me.
Trust. When it comes to relationships, purchases, investments — almost anything — trust is incredibly important. You won’t buy an automobile from a company you don’t trust. You won’t put your money into the stock of a company in which you don’t believe. And if you lose trust in your spouse, only with the greatest of difficulty will your marriage survive.
Trust.
Of course, when it comes to salvation, trust is all-important. Everyone needs to have an answer to the question: “Can I trust my god?” Christianity’s answer to this question makes it absolutely unique among the religions of the world.
While every religion says it is true and trustable, only Christianity can point to 1,500 years of written prophecies that were absolutely and reliably fulfilled by the Christ. Now one or two prophecies completed might be accidental or coincidental: a matter of happenstance. But Jesus managed to complete more than 100 very specific prophecies which had been made about the Savior.
And if you’re thinking, 100-plus prophecies: that’s not such a big deal! Then I would ask only this: how many of our Daily Devotion listeners have been born in Bethlehem of a virgin. Let me broaden the question: how many Daily Devotion listeners know anybody born in Bethlehem of a virgin?
See what I mean? Jesus fulfilled those two identifying marks of the Messiah and many more. All of this means you can trust He is the Savior who carried Your sins to the cross. You can believe He is God’s Son, the Redeemer who rose from the dead. He is the only Savior this world will produce, and the only Savior we will ever need.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I give thanks Your fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies gives me proof of Your credentials. May I give thanks that You, and Your Word are truth. In Your Name. Amen.