Today's Devotional

February 6, 2003

Subject: How Great You Are

John 2:24 - "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men"

Watching the NFL playoffs each year often reminds me of this verse. One weekend there is a team conquering the world and talking about going all the way to the SuperBowl and before you know it, they're pushed out of the playoffs. Or better yet, you have a player like the placekicker with an opportunity at the end of the game to win or lose it. It's hanging in the balance based on his performance on that one play. He kicks it through successfully and he is heralded as the greatest thing alive and that lasts until...his next opportunity to kick comes up. If the game is on the line the next time, then it's as though he never ever made that game-winning kick before.

This displays the fickleness of man and we should be aware of that and seek the approval of our heavenly father. It's nice to receive praise from others but look at how Jesus viewed the testimony of men. In the verse following (25), he says, "And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man."

I believe the key is to know, like someone said in a famous quote, "you're not as bad as they say you are, neither are you nearly as good as they are saying." So while man can praise us for things and be righteous in that praise, he can also change his mind. Therefore, we must trust ourselves to the immutable character of Christ because to commit to Him is to commit to unchanging truth.

Carlen