For Sunday July 10, 2022:
DECEIT-PROOFING OUR MINDS
Colossians 2:8 (NKJV)
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according
to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world,
and not according to Christ.
Centuries ago, when Egyptian troops first conquered Nubia, a regiment of recruits was crossing the desert. The heat was oppressive. Their supply of water was nearly exhausted. On the horizon they seemed to see a lake bordered with palm trees. The experienced Arab commander told his men that there was no lake in the distance and that what the soldiers saw was only a mirage. But the thirsty men trusted their sight more than the words of their commander. The men ran toward what they believed to be the cool waters of an oasis. Weeks later, authorities found the soldiers, all dead, far out in the desert, where they had fallen in their vain search to find water where none existed.
We are so easily deceived—particularly when we do not have a trustworthy guidebook to direct our way. Fortunately, God has provided such a guidebook in His flawless written Word, the Bible. The Scriptures truthfully reveal who God is, humankind’s greatest need, and the loving lengths to which God goes to meet that need. Our task is to read the Word and then do what it says.
Jesus loves me—this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
ANNA BARTLETT WARNER
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 