HOW DO YOU DETERMINE YOUR MOST RELIABLE ADVOCATE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which
are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may
have life in his name.
(John 20:30-31)

MEDITATION:
If two lawyers promised they would get you acquitted from a crime,
how would you decide which one to choose to represent you? First
of all you would probably talk to people who know them and ask
their opinions.

You would want to know which of the two they thought was trustworthy.
Then, you might look at the verdicts for each one to determine which one
has been the most successful. Lastly, you would probably see which one
has the best record of defending cases like yours.

In our world today, there are people who claim to be our advocate for
achieving everlasting life. Each one makes promises, but only One is
qualified to fulfill that promise. If we research, we will discover that
only One has existed for a long time; the others appeared long after
He did. So, longevity would lead us to favor one over the others.

We also need evidence of which ones are currently living eternally
with our Heavenly Father. How can we determine that? We need
to rely on information provided by the advocates themselves, and
proof that has been witnessed by others. When others have seen the
appearance of One after he died, we would lean toward that advocate.

Lastly, we might assume if they are going to be our advocate to the
Creator of the universe, then they would likely have some special
abilities for performing miracles. Again, we need to rely on the
information of others to help us make our choice.

We can research all we want to, but only One ‘performed many signs’
in the presence of others. How do we know? Because it is recorded in
a book of records (the Bible) that has survived longer than any of the
records of other ‘so-called’ heavenly advocates. This is the reason that
God’s Word was written – so we would have a record of our advocate
Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

We are given information about the great sacrifice He made to get
us acquitted of our sinful deeds. We are also given information from
witnesses of how He was crucified, but reappeared and was seen by
many after He was buried and resurrected. We are given information
from witnesses of the miracles He performed while He walked the earth
in human form. Look at Paul’s letter to the Corinthians:
    For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:
    that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that
    He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according
    to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and then
    to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred
    of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are
    still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared
    to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to
    me also, as to one abnormally born.
    (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

We can believe in Jesus, because He gave His life to get us acquitted from
punishment; He died, rose again and was seen by many; and He performed
miracles while He walked the earth (including bringing someone back from
the dead). We can’t trust any other ‘so-called’ advocate like we can trust Jesus!

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – Who have I chosen as my advocate for guaranteeing my eternal life?
    – Have I trusted anyone and if so, how have I aligned myself with them?
           Those who align themselves with Jesus, have chosen to
           humbly bow to Him, admitting they are sinners who are
           doomed to punishment without Him, asked Him to seize
           control of their life, and committed to following and serving
           Him.

Hopefully, we haven’t fallen for the lies of any of the ones who ‘claim’
to offer us eternal happiness, but have not been proven to have that
capability. None of them have given their lives to ensure that we can
have eternal life. Only Jesus is the One in whom we can place our faith
and trust.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your plan of redemption
for mankind. Without Your plan, I would be doomed to an
eternal separation from You and suffer punishment for my
sins. Thank You for Your Word that assures me that I would
be wise to believe in, and put my faith in Your Son, Jesus. As
I read Your Word, Your truth shines through and illuminates
a dark world. Jesus, thank You for making a painful sacrifice
so I can have the opportunity for achieving eternal life. What
a God! What a Savior! What a plan! What a Bible that gives
me confidence and assurance that Jesus is who He claims to
be, and that He is with the Father right now as my Advocate!”

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