Your Daily Devotional for March 26, 2006

March 26, 2006

 

Genuine Versus Counterfeit

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

John 15:5

 

A newly-hired bank teller, during her training course, asked her supervisor, “How could you tell if money is counterfeit?” The supervisor answered, “There’s no training for that. Instead, what we’ll have you do is work with the real stuff day after day after day. You’ll be handling real money day-in and day-out, so you’ll be an expert in what the genuine article feels like. When the time comes that counterfeit money comes your way, you’ll know it’s fake just from its texture and feel. It won’t be like anything you’ve been accustomed to handling.”

 

How do we develop spiritual discernment? How will we be able to detect the genuine from the counterfeit? By staying in God’s Word. If you’re immersing yourself in reading your Bible and committing verses to memory, if you diligently study its truths and precepts, you will be able to discern if an issue is doctrinally sound, or if it is diametrically opposed to God’s truth.

 

Staying in God’s Word not only sharpens one’s spiritual discernment, it also produces godliness in the believer. Abiding in Christ is the source of our righteousness. Righteousness is not found in a list of dos and don’ts; it is rather found in a deep abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. In our flesh, we cannot please God. We must abide in Him to grow into the godly Christians He wants us to be.

 

Years ago my wife Terrie gave me a great Christmas gift. It was a Black and Decker electric screwdriver. I was so excited to use it! So I plugged it into this little charger and plugged it into the wall. One afternoon after work, I came home to find that the tool had been knocked from its charging case, but I tried to work with it anyway. Much to my disappointment, the screwdriver only made two turns and then died on me. There was no power in the tool because it was not plugged into the power source. We have a lack of righteous living because we don’t abide in Christ. The ability to live the Christian life apart from Christ is absurd. It is outright impossible!

 

To live godly lives, we must also recognize that we must abide in the Spirit. Galatians 5:24-25 says, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

 

So how can we apply discernment in this day of wickedness, false religion, and false teachers? The answer lies in staying true to our Lord and His Word. Friend, we must learn to test everything by what the Bible says before we place our affection on something or someone that would pull us away from Christ!

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