(Jesus said) "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44

John Thomas, a Daily Devotion subscriber, shared with me that his home church, Hope Lutheran, was recently burglarized.

Understandably, the congregation made some post-burglary changes. One of those changes was to install fake surveillance cameras. Those cameras are designed to scare off any burglar who is casually casing the joint. Then having seen the fake surveillance equipment, he is supposed to look elsewhere for easier pickings.

That is the idea anyway.

Sadly, things don't always work out as planned. Last Sunday, Thomas reports, one of the church members noticed someone had cut the camera's wire and stolen the fake camera.

The thief managed to make his getaway with a rather fancy looking piece of plastic.

It occurs to Thomas and me the father of lies often works this way. He tells us we will profit if we do something, maybe even just a little thing that's wrong. Then, when the results are in, we find out we've been conned. We probably shouldn't expect anything else from the "father of lies."

In contrast to the church thief who was taken for a ride, those who listen to the Lord Jesus Christ, always know they are working with the truth. True, there are times when Jesus' truth seems unbelievable. For example, when He says He is going to rise from the dead -- who could believe that?

Even so it was true and it happened as He and the prophets had said it would. Having the truth -- that is one of the great blessings we have in following Him who is not boasting falsely when He says He is the Way and the Truth.

Of course, there are other blessings which come from trusting Jesus who gave His life so we might have life. Among those, we could count forgiveness, peace of mind, and salvation.

And that is the truth.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, the father of lies loves to convince us his ways are smarter, slicker, and wiser. Help me -- and all the world -- know that it just isn't so. Instead, let us trust in Jesus who was, and is, the truth. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

PS - Mr. Thomas wishes the burglar would join them in church rather than stealing from the outside of their church. Thanks, John.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 143-145    John 18:1-18

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