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By Rev. Raymond Amos, Sr.
First United Methodist Church.
“…you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 13:3
The above text is about false prophets who would entice the people to serve other gods. There is another kind of danger among us today. These are made more dangerous because they often claim the authority of the church. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing, the prophets of intellectual reasoning who leave no room for God, or faith. They exclude the Bible from authority on moral issues, and look down on people of faith as superstitious and outdated.
At a graveside I saw firsthand what such a belief can do. The family seemed divided because of this very issue. Both had gathered there, some to say good-by; others to say, “till we meet again.” The first were unable to have peace: they were too smart for their own heart. The others were among the “Blessed who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Paul wrote, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1st Corinthians 15:19).
Life can be like a fire that tests us. When all the dross is burned away, when earthly pleasures come to a halt, when those things that we once thought were so important that they consumed us have no more value, and when our knowledge has ceased; What then? Will the Lord know that we have loved Him? For the believer there is more. When all of these things have passed away “then we shall see face to face… then I shall know fully… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1st Corinthians 13:12-13).
Grace and Peace.