KneEmail - a devotional by Mike Benson associated with Forthright Magazine
Preference
PEOPLE SOMETIMES REGARD religious issues as being a matter of each individual’s personal preference...
This preference can be based on a number of things. Some people hold to a religion because they were brought up that way. Others attend XYZ church because that’s where their friends go. Some are attracted by buildings, programs, the preacher, or the latest trend, and then embrace whatever doctrines they have, thinking that it makes no difference what we believe
What we teach and what we believe makes a difference. It makes ALL the difference. Jesus said “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” ( John 8:32). Most people think that faith and truth are totally separate. They have been convinced by the magazines, television, and newspapers that we of the post-modern age are too enlightened to take the Bible as the sole source of spiritual truth. We have been indoctrinated to believe that the Bible is full of historical, scientific, and cultural inaccuracies and should not be accepted as more than just a product of ancient near-eastern culture. We have been taught to accept it as fable, and as a good moral guideline, but not as the message from an all-wise and infallible Creator God.
I challenge you…I dare you…to examine the Scriptures under the microscope of history, science, linguistics, literature, and logic. Even while holding the Bible up to a higher standard than we hold any other piece of writing, the Bible still comes through on top. The reason why is that the Bible is unlike any other book in the world. It was inspired by Almighty God. It has been tested by critics, skeptics, persecutors, and the test of time. Some have tried to stamp it out or to keep it out of people’s hands, but the Bible remains. Though many scorn its message, yet those who hear it and practice it are forever changed by its Author. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” ( Romans 10:17).
Get our your Bible and read it every day. Examine its message and meditate upon it. Tune your ears to what God wants you to understand, believe, feel, and do. Pray for wisdom and understanding. Expect and accept the blessings that come from listening to God speak to you through His Word. (Roger Wright)
KneEmail: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” ( John 8:32).