TRUE RELIGION -- Devotional for February 10, from "Good Seeds"

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Religion is a good word, for it represents the loftiest and most crucial subject for us to ponder, discuss, and apply to our lives. Nevertheless, the rules of polite society dictate that we steer clear of both politics and religion, if we wish to maintain peace and harmony and preserve friendships. Young ladies of the Victorian era were taught to limit their conversation at social gatherings to the weather, or at most maybe a little harmless local gossip. How sad when we are similarly restricted, for what could be more interesting, or needful, than to talk about the meaning of life? Religion, by definition, is the body of truth that ponders and seeks to answer the three root questions of life, related to the three time zones of human existence: 1) Where did I come from? (The past); 2) Where am I going? (The future); and 3) Why am I here? (The present). The genuineness of any particular religion can be judged on how well it answers these questions. And of course the truthfulness of a religion will depend on the reliability of its source of information. When that source is primarily superstition, the religion is mythology or paganism. When the source is observation, the resulting belief system is science (which is still a religion whenever it attempts to explain the obscurities of the past and future that it cannot observe, but only surmise and theorize!). When the source is human intellect and reason, it is called philosophy. But most religions are rooted in revelation from a god or gods. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of such religions whose founders claim to have heard a word from a world outside our own, upon which they base their teachings. Even though the variety and number of religions is legion, they all can be broken down and placed in one of two camps. Yes, there are really only two religions in the world: one is HUMAN ENDEAVOR, and the other, DIVINE ACCOMPLISHMENT. The first is man, reaching up, seeking meaning, survival, happiness. It is man calling the shots. The second is God, reaching down, seeking a restored relationship with His creation. Job spoke for all humanity when he asked, “Can you, by searching, find God?” (11:7). The inadequacy of all man’s religions seems to answer that question in the negative. But God sought out man by sending His Son into the world. Religion that bypasses the cross is inadequate to answer our questions, and powerless to save our souls! The one true religion can be stated in just two words: JESUS SAVES!