Psalm 118:8-9 - It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

Two of the great questions of life are: "Whom will you believe and whom will you trust?"

If you turn on your television in the middle of the afternoon, you will find courtroom programs are giving the soap operas a real run for their money. Let's see, there's Celebrity Justice, Crime & Punishment, Divorce Court, Judge Hatchett, Judge Joe Brown, Judge Judy, Judge Mathis, The People's Court, and Texas Justice.

There is a commonness to these shows.

Two people come in, stand before the judge, and tell their stories. Theoretically, those stories, covering the same events, should match. They never do. They contradict each other from opening sentence to concluding summary. The judge seems to be able to discern truth from fiction, but most of us stay pretty confused.

Watching the litigants, we wonder whom can I believe? Whom can I trust?

We make our judgments based on such irrational things like "I don't like the way she smiles" or "He's got two earrings in each ear. I think he's lying." Then, we turn the channel.

Whom do you trust? Whom will you believe?

Did men walk on the moon? Is the ozone layer above us disappearing? Is the world warming? Did the face of Troy's Helen really launch a thousand ships? Did the Native Americans sell Manhattan for a few dollars worth of beads? Some of those things may be true, but I don't know.

Think about it: aren't the things that we say we know often really just things we believe?

If we trust a person, we will believe his facts. If we don't trust that individual, we will reject him and everything he says. Now there are times when it doesn't make any difference whether you believe a person or not. But it makes a great deal of difference if you trust or distrust your doctor, if you trust or distrust your auto mechanic, if you trust or distrust the guy who prepares your taxes.

And finding the right Person to trust is especially important when it comes to salvation.

Twenty centuries ago, the apostle Paul wrote, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

The question is -- and eternity hinges upon your answer -- "Do you believe those words?" Now since you are reading a Christian devotion, I would assume most, if not all of you, are saying, "Of course, I do."

Good. I'm glad.

If you do believe those words, salvation is yours. If you believe those words, it is right that we pray and work for the salvation of the hundreds of millions of lost souls who do not.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I believe in Your Word, Your Son, and the salvation You alone can give. Use me to reach those who remain unsure, uncertain and lost. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Exodus 7-8    Matthew 25:1-30

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