Josh McDowell's Youth DevotionsSample
THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH.
1. Which flavor ice cream is best?
chocolate
rocky road
butter pecan
strawberry
vanilla
min chocolate chip
2. Who was the greatest baseball player?
Babe Ruth
Willie Mays
Whitney Ford
Henry Aaron
Ted Williams
Leroy "Satchel" Paige
3. Which of these actions is wrong?
eating meat
water-skiing
kissing
lying
singing
sleeping
Now, those questions may seem pretty dumb to you. But I ask them for a reason.
Some people think there is no difference between questions #1 and #2 and question #3. But there is a huge difference.
The first question asks you to make a choice based on your taste. You may like chocolate ice cream, but your sister or friend may like vanilla ice cream best. So who's right? Both of you, because it's a matter of taste. Whether you're talking about ice cream, favorite colors, or favorite songs, different people have different tastes.
The second question asks you to make a choice based on opinion. You may have an opinion about who was the greatest ballplayer ever, but someone else who is equally informed may have a different opinion.
But the third question is a different kind of question entirely, because it asks you to make a choice involving, not taste or opinion, but right and wrong. You see, some things are a matter of taste, some things are a matter of opinion, and others are true beyond a shadow of a doubt. Some things are absolute truths-that means they are true for all people, for all places, and for all time. Those things are true no matter what you like or don't like; they're true no matter what your opinion is; they're true absolutely.
Now, there are some people today who claim that right and wrong are just a matter of taste or a matter of opinion. But God has already revealed to us in his Word what is absolutely right and what is absolutely wrong.
REFLECT: Some things are a matter of taste, some things are a matter of opinion, and others are true beyond a shadow of a doubt. Can you think of two actions or attitudes that belong to each category?
PRAY: "Thanks, God, for the way your Word makes the absolute truth absolutely clear."
1. Which flavor ice cream is best?
chocolate
rocky road
butter pecan
strawberry
vanilla
min chocolate chip
2. Who was the greatest baseball player?
Babe Ruth
Willie Mays
Whitney Ford
Henry Aaron
Ted Williams
Leroy "Satchel" Paige
3. Which of these actions is wrong?
eating meat
water-skiing
kissing
lying
singing
sleeping
Now, those questions may seem pretty dumb to you. But I ask them for a reason.
Some people think there is no difference between questions #1 and #2 and question #3. But there is a huge difference.
The first question asks you to make a choice based on your taste. You may like chocolate ice cream, but your sister or friend may like vanilla ice cream best. So who's right? Both of you, because it's a matter of taste. Whether you're talking about ice cream, favorite colors, or favorite songs, different people have different tastes.
The second question asks you to make a choice based on opinion. You may have an opinion about who was the greatest ballplayer ever, but someone else who is equally informed may have a different opinion.
But the third question is a different kind of question entirely, because it asks you to make a choice involving, not taste or opinion, but right and wrong. You see, some things are a matter of taste, some things are a matter of opinion, and others are true beyond a shadow of a doubt. Some things are absolute truths-that means they are true for all people, for all places, and for all time. Those things are true no matter what you like or don't like; they're true no matter what your opinion is; they're true absolutely.
Now, there are some people today who claim that right and wrong are just a matter of taste or a matter of opinion. But God has already revealed to us in his Word what is absolutely right and what is absolutely wrong.
REFLECT: Some things are a matter of taste, some things are a matter of opinion, and others are true beyond a shadow of a doubt. Can you think of two actions or attitudes that belong to each category?
PRAY: "Thanks, God, for the way your Word makes the absolute truth absolutely clear."
Scripture
About this Plan
Written for teenagers to use in their daily quiet time readings, this plan will make them laugh or cry. Some are fiction, some are stranger than fiction, but each will help you discover how to make right choices in the everyday ups and downs of life. Josh McDowell's Youth Devotions is a daily adventure in making right choices.
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© 2011 Josh McDowell Ministry. All rights reserved. No part of these Materials may be changed in any way or reproduced in any form without written permission from Josh McDowell Ministry, 2001 W Plano Pkwy, Ste. 2400, Plano, TX 75075. www.josh.org. +1 972 907 1000. Used by Permission.