Too Good To Be True?

When you were young you probably heard these wise words from your parents, "If it is too good to be true, it probably is." Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are looking to take advantage of others. They know just how to manipulate feelings and emotions so that the other person is lured into some type of agreement or commitment that appears fantastic but which in reality is a disaster. Afterward, when the person realizes the deception, their reaction is, "At the time I just couldn't refuse." Getting burned in a business deal or relationship leaves us not only bitter, but cynical. We start to question or doubt the sincerity of all people. We develop an attitude which questions, "What's your angle? What's in it for you?" That kind of thinking may help us in defending ourselves from being taken advantage of by other people, but it undermines our relationship with Jesus Christ.

When it comes to the Lord's promises, he is good for them. If you ever have any doubt, revisit the tomb he left empty on Easter Sunday. His resurrection is your confirmation that he is good for everything he promises. One of the more incredible promises he makes to his followers comes in the form of what we call Holy Communion. When Jesus instituted this Sacrament he said, "Take and eat; this is my body. Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:26-27) To our doubting minds those words sound "too good to be true". We wonder how something so simple as believing that by eating a little bread and wine a human being can be put into a right relationship with the eternal God. Something in us wants to drag our intellectual feet. That's when we need to remember who spoke those words. One of the great tragedies of life is that we are naive in regard to human schemes and cynical toward the promises of Jesus Christ. Join us this Sunday (September 18) at 10:00 am and be ready to take Christ at his word. You'll never regret it!