Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit [God's Spirit], from the Spirit will reap eternal life."¹

For those of us old enough to remember, we may recall the words of John Lennon (1940-1980) of Beatles fame who "said in 1966: 'Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that. I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now. I don't know which will go firstâ€"rock n' roll or Christianity.' Fourteen years later, Lennon was shot dead by Mark David Chapman in New York City on December 8, 1980."²

Some time after John Lennon's statement about being more popular than Jesus, "while in Chicago, Lennon and the Beatles called a press conference and apologized to the world for his comment."² However, I believe Lennon was referring to his own country with his statement … and it probably was true in the UK.

There has been an email message floating around claiming that other famous people verbally mocked God and were killed in an unusual way soon after. Many, if not most, of these claims were false. I did check on TruthOrFiction.com about the report on John Lennon and it is stated as truth, not fiction.

However, in a very real sense, any person who disregards the Word of God saying that they don't believe in God or his Word, and fails to accept the fact that Jesus, the son of God, died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins, and in so doing rejects God's gift of salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life, is living a life of mockery. This is because they play the role of God in choosing to believe their own word instead of God's Word. Putting themselves above God is not only a mockery, but also a fatal path to followâ€"eternally fatal.

Whatever you do, God has given us his Word and specific warning about life after death, so don't mock God and hope for the best when you come to the end of life's journey. The reality is that we cannot mock God. We will reap what we sow. For help to be sure your life is right with God read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian … without having to be religious" on line at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian. Also read, "Life After Death" at: http://tinyurl.com/8brzh.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you that you have given mankind your eternal Word so that we can know the way to you and the path to eternal life. I choose to believe in you and in your Word, and I thank you that your forgiveness and gift of eternal life is available to all who believe in and put their trust in you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV).
2. http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/u/untimely-deaths.htm

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