The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.
Deuteronomy 18:15
Verbal Authority
Daily Devotion – February 1, 2024
Devotion based on Deuteronomy 18:15
See series: Devotions
This year, countries with more than half the world’s population will hold elections. That is a lot of campaigning. Some of what they say will be good and helpful, and some will be bad and harmful. Sometimes, what sounds good will be bad, and what sounds harmful will be helpful.
How can you know to whom and what you should listen? You need one voice that serves as the authority over all other voices. A voice that is always unchanging, reliable, and true. Who is like that? People lie. People fail to keep their promises. People change their minds. But God is not like us. He cannot lie and does not change his mind. He says what he means and does what he says.
Jesus, the Son of God, is a voice you can trust. The Old Testament records over 300 prophecies and promises regarding the Savior. Jesus fulfilled them all. Everything he spoke came from God. As God, Jesus has the authority to tell us what is right and what is wrong. He has the authority to condemn us for not listening to his Word but also has the authority to forgive us. And he has.
Because he is truly God, Jesus had the authority to lay down his life for the sins of the world. His death pays for sin, once and for all. But he also had the authority to take his life back again. His resurrection is proof that everything he did and said is unchanging, reliable, and true.
So, when it comes to other voices in the world, how can you know to whom and what you should listen? Compare what they say to what God’s Word, the Bible says. If what they say does not line up with what God says, cover your ears.
God’s Word does not tell us everything we might want to know, but it does tell us everything we need to know. By the authority of Christ Jesus, you are forgiven for all your sins. Listen to him.
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, your Word is my light and my life. Lead me in the way everlasting. Amen.
