ODJ: rest assured

October 15, 2015 

READ: John 8:31-51 

I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die! (v.51).

A Japanese composer was hailed for a time as a “modern Beethoven”. He was credited with creating hits such as “Symphony No. 1, Hiroshima”. Despite being deaf, the man once said, “If you trust your inner sense of sound, you create something that is truer. It is like communicating from the heart.” After his hearing-impaired status came into question, however, he confessed that another musician wrote his most famous music.

We can’t always trust people. What we see is not always what we get. Thankfully God does not wear a mask. He’s stable and knowable; He always tells the truth. “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind” (Numbers 23:19). Because of God’s steady, honest nature, we can be sure that He’ll give us strength and provide for our needs. And ultimately, we’ll be with Him in paradise if we trust in His Son for our salvation (John 8:51).

In contrast, Satan is totally unreliable. He passed off lies as truth to Adam and Eve. Today, he suggests ideas that appear credible but actually chip away at the core of the biblical truth. God’s Word says that the devil hates “the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (v.44).

Satan is two-faced and treacherous, but God is honest and authentic. When we listen to Him, we won’t experience the emotional whiplash that comes with betrayal. We can rest assured that He loves us, He’s with us and He has heaven waiting for us. So, “let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23).

—Jennifer Benson Schuldt

365-day-plan: Acts 6:1-15