Faith is a strange thing.
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
By Pastor Ken Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
"A Right Faith"
August 15, 2017
For there is one God, and there is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
~ 1 Timothy 2:5 (ESV)
Faith is a strange thing.
Indeed, I am always amazed at the things people find in which they are willing to place their trust. A case in point comes from Minnesota. The story began when Deputy Mark Vai, who works for the Dakota County Sheriff's Office, pulled a man over in a normal traffic stop. It didn't take too long before the deputy found the man had to be arrested on a controlled-substance warrant.
Now, when an officer has to tell a person he is going to be arrested, all kinds of things can happen, and one of them are very good. For example, the perpetrator might turn violent, or become incredibly uncooperative, or attempt to get away. At the very least, the person who is going to be arrested has a worried look on his face.
Amazingly, none of those ideas applied to the man whom Vai arrested.
The most noticeable facial feature shown by the man was a smirk, a smirk which stretched across the fellow's face. It took but a second for the smirker to explain why he was so cool. He asked Deputy Vai to reach into his front shirt pocket. That, too, is a dangerous thing for an officer to do since pockets can easily hide infected hypodermic needles.
To Deputy Vai's surprise, all that was in the pocket was a card: a card taken from the Parker Brothers' board game: Monopoly. The card read "Get out of Jail Free."
When the curious deputy asked his prisoner to explain the card, the man said, "I've been carrying it on me ever since I found out there was a warrant, just in case." Deputy Vai took a picture of the Monopoly card, gave the card back to the man, and then the deputy hauled the fellow in to the hoosegow. It goes without saying: the man had put his faith in the wrong thing.
I'm afraid that mistake of believing in the wrong thing is pretty commonplace.
* This is especially when it comes to faith. In the last months I've met people who put their faith in themselves and their own ability to confront anything or anyone that might come their way.
* There are those who put their faith in their intellect and have rationalized away any concept of a final judgment.
* Of course, there are those who procrastinate and put their faith in themselves and their belief they will be able to take any necessary steps when the Lord returns, that is, if He returns.
My friends, I give thanks that you already know there is only one way to get out of the "jail" of hell. That one way is Jesus Christ. Only Jesus has the perfect credentials to free us. Only Jesus did all that was necessary to win forgiveness for all who are brought to faith. Only Jesus is telling the truth when He said, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I know what Jesus has done to win my salvation. Now may I do all I can to make Him and His blood-bought message of salvation available to those who are still in ignorance and darkness. This I ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
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