Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"Questions of Consequence"
Apr. 25, 2018
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
~ Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
I can remember the days when Groucho Marx was hosting the program, You Bet Your Life.
When a pair of contestants missed all the questions, the comedian would give a consolation query. Some of the more famous were "Who is buried in Grant's tomb?" and "In what year was the War of 1812 fought?" If I remember rightly, nobody flubbed any of those super-obvious questions.
Now if you smiled at that paragraph, I'm glad. Sadly, I have a piece of information which may not allow you to continue to feel that way. Recently, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany did a survey in America.
They asked a question which should have had an easy answer. They asked, "What was Auschwitz?" The replies were disturbing.
The results came in showing 66 percent of Americans aged 18 to 34 could not answer the question correctly. The figure for all adult Americans was 41 percent. It was a simple question, and they were looking for a simple answer. You know, something like "Auschwitz was the WWII Nazi death camp where a lot of Jews and other folks were murdered."
Well, maybe I'm not surprised that people forgot an easy answer to an easy question.
You see, all too often people have a tendency to forget things they really, really ought to know, or remember. That is certainly true when it comes to some of the more simple matters of faith.
Consider the human body or the universe. Anyone who looks at the heavens or watches a baby for any length of time realizes these things are incredibly complex. It is obvious to most people that such a creation is not the result of happenstance or accident. On the contrary, a creation calls for a Creator.
And if you were to ask the simple question, "And who might this Creator be?" you ought to receive the simple answer: "God." It ought to be, but many times it isn't. People forget the obvious and substitute really strange answers.
And if you were to ask the next simple question, "Which God did the creating?" Well, you would be surprised at the answers you get to that one.
Christians would say, "All that we see was brought into being by the Word of the Triune God." Of course, other religions would say their particular deity is responsible. So, who is right? Who gets the credit?
To that simple question, some folks get overly simplistic and reply, "It doesn't make any difference; all gods are the same." Naturally, anyone who has given even the smallest of glances to the doctrines of the world's religions knows they contradict each other, and the gods they venerate are different in attributes, attitudes, and aptitude.
No, we dare not get overly simplistic. Still, there is a simple answer to that question.
The Triune God is the correct answer. And if anyone wonders why Christians believe they are correct in what they believe, they can be pointed to the holy Bible. There we see fulfilled prophecies, especially those concerning the Savior, offer a veracity that no other "holy writing" can claim. You see, it's very simple.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me see and believe that Your plan of salvation is not just unique, it is also the only truth upon which salvation is given. Grant me a simple faith in Your marvelous Word. This I ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Mark Kellner on April 13, 2018 for the Religious News Service. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: https://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/what-s-auschwitz-2-3-of-millennials-don-t-know-it-was-a-nazi-death-camp-survey-reports.html
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
I can remember the days when Groucho Marx was hosting the program, You Bet Your Life.
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