To introduce this devotional, I wanted to show all the different decisions that make life complex. There are multiple choices for everything from washers and dryers to tires for your car. Since you may not be in the market for a washer or dryer, and your tires are just fine, I decided to see how many brands of jeans there are. I found a site that provided the complete list of jean brands listed in alphabetical order. I stopped counting at one hundred brands. I was only at “C”! I didn’t have it in me to count jean brands starting with “D” all the way to “Z.”

Sometimes, people make a relationship with God cumbersome and consider many choices as well. They focus on different systems of theology or denominations. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, there are more than 45,000 Christian denominations globally and more than two hundred in the United States. Each denomination has its own understanding of who God is, who man is, and how we can have a relationship with the living God. Certainly, theology matters. And…the theology of the Bible is clear, straightforward, and to the point.   

1 John 5:11-12
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

At the end of the day, we are sinners, and our sin separates us from God. The penalty of our sin is death. But driven by perfect love, the just God became the Justifier. Being fully God, Jesus was the only one who could provide a sinless sacrifice. Being fully man, Jesus was the only one who could die on our behalf. There is no list of brands when it comes to a relationship with God. Life—now and forever—is found in Jesus alone.

Father, thank you for keeping the questions of life and eternity simple. Help us not to make them confusing. Confirm in our hearts that we have Jesus. Give us courage to tell others. And help us keep the message clear with our lips and lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.