Walking down the footpath at
Leonard Harrison State Park in Pennsylvania, we discovered a strange stone
building. It was full of openings of various sizes, and each tourist who walked
by couldn't stop himself from checking it out, trying to make sense of the
strange structure.
Speculation abounded.
"This is where they burned bodies. I am certain of
this!"
"No way! This is where they burned railroad ties. They
had to be burned somewhere!"
"Maybe it's just a place to attract wondering
tourists!"
My wife and I had our own theories, but instead of
dwelling on the fantasies of our mind, we went and asked a park ranger. It was,
after all, her park. She would certainly know the reason for the mysterious
building. And sure enough, she did: The simple truth is that when the CCC
(Civilian Conservation Corps) were constructing paths and lookouts in the 1930s,
they built this mysterious building to burn their garbage. Neither body nor
railroad tie had ever been burned there!
Just as the many speculations over that
strange-looking building, there are a variety of interpretations about
salvation. Which one is Truth? Why not ask God directly? Isn't He the One who
created us? He is the One who will know the truth!
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another Counselor to be with you forever- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot
accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he
lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17 NIV)
We can continually ponder this. Strangely enough
however, our world is more eager to accept religions that encourage retaliation
and vengeance in the name of their God. Haven't we all been wronged by
despicable individuals who think the world owes them something? Religions that
proclaim salvation through works are also acceptable. Don't we get what we want
in life by working extra
hard? And religions proclaiming that we will
eventually all become like gods are also acceptable in our society. In fact, we
even easily accept religions that proclaim salvation to anyone! Why worry about
our mistakes? Heaven is just a continuation of our current life!
Strangely, enough our world has a harder time
accepting a God of love who willingly allowed His own son to be sacrificed to
pay the consequences we deserved when we erred from the straight path.
But why the skepticism about a loving God? Is it
possible that we, as humans, don't know what true love is? Have our hearts been
so hardened that we cannot fathom offering ourselves or our children for the
well-beings of others? Why would God love us so much? It makes no sense! Unless
… unless we invite our Maker into our lives and discover through Him how madly
in love He is with us. So much that He would sacrifice Himself to save us.
All those religions that are so acceptable in the
world do not give the inner peace offered by the One who died for us: "Peace I
leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives."
(John 14:27 NIV)
They don't even offer a deep-down assurance of
salvation! "He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit
in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (2 Cor 1:21-22 NIV)
How can there be so many Truths? How can it be true
that when we lie, we can just refer it to as our version of the truth? How come
we can call stealing a justifiable means to meet our own needs?
Are we flirting with the dark side? What would a just,
loving God think of our interpretations? Are there really nuances to truth? "For
the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to
suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers
to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from
the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Tim 4:3-4 NIV)
If we want to know the Truth we need to ask God
directly what Truth truly is. A hungry heart will always be satisfied: "Which of
you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish,
will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts
to those who ask him!" (Matt 7:9-11 NIV)
What better gift is there than knowing Truth. We are
so tired of the lies that surround us. Politicians promise us the moon, but
instead, our taxes increase. Advertisements promise us gold, instead we receive
junk. The stock market promise us a bright retirement, instead we see our
savings plunging towards the zero mark. Are we truly satisfied with what the
world considers "acceptable"?
"Maybe this building is a pigeon habitat. Look at the
many holes. It would be a haven for them!"
Would it really?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.