A few weeks ago, I visited a group of refugees. Most fled their country as children when they were 8 or 9 years old because of poverty and starvation. Now they are 18 or 19, tryng to build a life in a culture they don't quite understand. Most are orphans. Some have witnessed the depravity of mankind in ways few of us can understand. A few are Anti-American. Most have a basic distrust of mankind.
While I was there, one young man picked up a Bible, sneered, and said to his American friend, "I do not like this book."
"Why do you say that?" the American asked.
"It is a book of lies."
"No, this book is truth," the American countered. "Show me a lie in this book."
"Maybe I will show you in ten years. Right now, you cannot understand."
The American later told me that he's had similar discussions with others in the group. One young refugee told the American that he believed in God and in Jesus, but he did not believe the Bible. When asked why, the young refugee explained, "The Bible was written by men, and all men are liars."Labels: Devotionals