Day 199 "What I know should dictate who I am, not my surroundings."

Day 199 Matthew 24:3-5 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” I am somewhat surprised at the first response of Jesus when asked what would be the signs of His coming; however, it does make perfect sense. Jesus’ response is, first of all, a warning; a warning to be watchful and wary for false teachers and false Christs. One thing for certain is that if Jesus says something will happen, then, most assuredly, it will, and He is saying that many will come in His name claiming to be Christ, wow! I have seen and heard of a few, but not really many. Are there more to come, possibly so, but what does that have to do with us? The fact is that there are, have been, and will be more who will claim to be the one, the Christ, the Messiah, and, yes, they will deceive many, and they will do so by being impersonators. They will attempt to look, sound, and in every way appear to be the Messiah, yet only those who truly know Christ will be able to tell them apart. I'm sure that many of you have heard how they teach bank tellers and others who handle money to spot counterfeits; they teach them every detail of the original. You see, if you know every detail of the genuine article, you don't really need to study a counterfeit–it will reveal itself to you on its own, and it will appear as a fake. A while back, I had an amazing talk with my daughters about education and religion. They were, of course, very concerned about our religious freedoms and what types of things they will be taught as they, in the next few years, enter the public school arena. As we were driving down the road, there was a large building painted three colors: the top was a pinkish color, the bottom a yellow, and in the middle was a white band. I asked them, "What color is the middle band?" and they, of course, laughed at me and said something like, "Duh, it's white, dad." "Are you sure it's white?" I replied. Their answer, "Dad, do you need new glasses, it's white!" "My point exactly, girls." You see, the middle band is white. My daughters know that, and no matter how long I try to convince them it's another color, they know the truth, it's white. Yes, they may get tired of arguing and verbally agree it's another color, but in their mind they will always know the truth. As I shared this with them, I reminded them that it is their responsibility to study and know the truth. They must understand the Word and be familiar with the Savior who came, Jesus Christ, for by doing so, no other argument can ever change their mind. Believe it or not, they loved our little exercise and left the car feeling more confident and less afraid of the future. Why? Because they have the answer, and they are confident in it. Are you confident that you could spot a counterfeit? If not, you might want to spend a little more time with the original. He's pretty great to be with. Daily Prayer: Father, we do desire to know You more and to understand Your ways and to walk in them. Teach us every day more about You, I pray, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen. "What I know should dictate who I am, not my surroundings." Gene Burroughs, Pastor