For the past seven years a small group of friends meet at a local lake camp ground for the May long weekend. Their arrival times vary depending on individual schedules, but by sunset Friday they can be found gathered around a campfire talking about family or work. Steve and Jan arrived this year with a new travel trailer. Relaxing by the fire Steve is complaining about the new trailer’s performance. The fridge isn’t very cold he tells Bob, and things won’t stay on the counter, Jan adds. Anything that can, keeps rolling onto the floor.
Sounds to me like it’s not leveled. Bob offers his opinion nonchalantly.
Na. It can’t be that. Steve says. I bought a brand-new level for the new trailer and I checked it three times myself.
Well did you level your level? Bob asked.
What do you mean, level the level?
Well did you test it, is it true? It may be off, even if it’s new.
I’ve never heard of that. Steve admits. How do you test them?
Well you just turn the level the other way and see if the bubble moves. If it does you can adjust the bubble inside the body of the level until the level reads the same facing both directions on a level service. I can show you tomorrow if you’d like. Bob offers.
Thanks. That would be great. Steve replies, toasting Bob with his beer.
The fall of mankind, gave sin sway in the lives of all humans, forcing the need for Jesus to save us. Adam’s choice brought death to us all, making following our heavenly father’s ways of love a constant struggle. Most Christians are familiar with the original sin, but few are aware of the original lie. Like Steve’s trailer not being level, the original sin sets our lives at odd angles to what God wants for us, it encourages us to trust our own wisdom rather than obediently follow God. The original lie is like the wonky level, if we aren’t aware of it’s deception, we can have a good time camping, but our lives may at times feel, just a bit off kilter and things won’t work their best.
The Bible tells us the power of Satan is in his lies and that he is the father of them. The original lie, is recorded for us along with the story of the original sin. Satan gave mankind his first lie at our origins, infecting everyone since. Leading us away from God and his ways of love, is Satan’s goal. He desires to keep us from fully knowing God and from the freedom God wants us to live in. Knowing the truth of God will set us free, believing Satan’s lies keep us shackled within his darkness of deception.
The criteria for being Christian is very minimal. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Accepting his atoning sacrifice, covering our sins is the beginning for all Christians. We can be Christian and not understand the plans of God. Jesus doesn’t require us to pass a test of comprehension before he calls us, one of his. Understanding the lies of Satan will not save us from our sins, only having faith in Jesus will do that. But like camping in a trailer that isn’t level, our Christian lives will always be a bit off plumb and God’s plans for us and mankind will seem elusive if we believe Satan’s deceptions.
If we’re to come into the fullness of God’s truth, we must abandon the lies of Satan and recognize how they divert us from knowing God. The freedom God has for us, is found within his wisdom, the Bible. Scouring its pages for the truth God has hidden there, leads the believer into Godly truth. Truth like, how the salvation of Jesus transcends our earthly lives and God’s plans for a future where, his gift of love is offered to all and accepted by all who desire it. These plans are understood when we recognize Satan’s first lie of, thou shall not surely die. Rejecting Satan’s lies and believing the truth of God is an important step in understanding the plans God has for us and mankind.
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