John 8:31-32 - So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Every poll, every survey says our nation is packed with people who have concluded that nothing is absolutely, totally true. Nobody can be believed. Nothing can be trusted, not categorically, not completely, not all the time.
Perhaps you are numbered among those who feel so misled, misinformed, and misdirected that you find yourself doubting everything. Odds are, if I haven't described you, I most certainly have painted a picture of someone you know.
Think how many things you once knew as fact have been discredited.
* When I was young my brother, sister, and I weren't allowed to go swimming for a whole hour after we had eaten. We were told, indeed, every child was told, that if they went swimming 59 minutes after they had eaten, they would get a cramp and they would die. It was guaranteed. Sixty minutes was okay. Fifty-nine minutes was to make a date with death.
* When I was young, we all knew it was dangerous to handle a toad; handling a toad would give you warts.
* I once knew that sitting too close to the TV would hurt your eyes. It doesn't. Sitting too close to the tube may mean you are nearsighted, but that's not the TV's fault.
* For years I was sure you were supposed to feed a cold and starve a fever, or was it starve a cold and feed a fever? Forget that one, I never could remember which was right.
Which is why this devotion is for folks who have been tossed to and fro, who have a tough time believing in anything. Now, there are things where what you believe is unimportant. Is Elvis living in seclusion in Kalamazoo, Michigan? Believe what you want.
Are there UFOs? Some of my readers will say, "Of course!" Others will say, "Of course not." Which is true? Once again, believe what you want.
But there are times when it is important to know the truth.
And none of those times is more important than your belief in the Savior. Is Jesus Christ the world's Savior, or is He not? To that question there are only two answers:
1. He is the promised Messiah who has fulfilled the Father's promise to send a Redeemer who would save.
2. He is a charlatan, a mountebank, a conman of epic proportions.
Which will you believe? As eternity hangs in the balance, I encourage you to investigate the matter thoroughly. If you do, you will be astounded by the many prophecies Jesus fulfilled. If you take the time, you will be shocked to find, at first, the disciples were just as doubtful about Jesus' resurrection as any skeptic is today. If you look honestly at the Christ, you will be surprised to see His words, His thinking, His actions are divine.
But don't take my word for it. Take a look for yourself.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, when Jesus was physically among us, He never criticized those who came to Him with honest questions. He still doesn't. But He wants, and we pray, that people may hear Him when He provides the answers to those questions. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: 1 Chronicles 26-27 1 Corinthians 15:1-28
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