Daily Devotional for March 24, 2019
Mockingbirds
“Dad, what kind of bird is singing in that tree?”
“Sounds like a Carolina wren. Let’s see if we can spot him.”
“I heard it again,” Brayden whispered. “From right up there.”
Dad looked and then laughed. “That’s a mockingbird, Brayden. He fooled us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mockingbirds imitate other birds, and right now he’s imitating a Carolina wren.” They started walking toward the house. “You know, when I was a boy, we had a mockingbird that hung around our yard. He imitated the squeak of our screen door! We always thought someone was coming or going.”
“Hey, Brayden!” Brayden’s friend Clay ran into the yard. “The kids at our church are having a game night on Friday, and Mom said you could go.” He looked at Brayden’s dad. “Can he go? Please?”
Dad smiled. “We’ll have to talk it over, Clay. Brayden will text you later.”
Brayden was surprised. Why would his dad hesitate? Brayden’s family went to church all the time.
After Clay left, Brayden’s dad explained. “I don’t agree with what they teach at Clay’s church.”
Brayden was confused. “But Clay talks about God and Jesus just like we do.”
“Not just like we do, Brayden. They talk about Jesus, but they believe He was a good man, not God’s Son who died and rose again to save us from sin. Their teachings are an imitation of the truth.”
“Like the mockingbird,” Brayden said.
“Exactly,” said Dad. “Look, I’ll give you permission to go to the game night. I know you’re a Christian. You know the truth of what God says in His Word, but you need to ask the Lord to help you be discerning. That means carefully considering whether something matches what God tells us in His Word. Check everything you hear with what we read in the Bible.”
“I will listen carefully to anything the kids say,” Brayden said. “And maybe Clay can come to our church sometime and hear the right message.”
“Good idea.” Dad smiled. “Don’t be tricked by clever imitations of God’s true message. The Bible tells us that Jesus is God’s Son who died to save us because we can’t save ourselves.” – Linda Weddle
How about you?
Do you think that if someone mentions the words God or Jesus, they must believe the Bible? That might not be true. They may be repeating false stories instead of the true message of God’s Word. Ask the Lord to help you be discerning of what you hear. Go to Christian adults with questions, and study God’s Word so you know the difference between what’s true and what’s false.
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