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."