Mistaken Identity

Last night I was waiting for my luggage to arrive on the carousel at San Francisco's International Airport. I saw a bag that looked like mine and I grabbed it. As soon as I picked it up, I noticed it seemed different. In fact, it wasn't my garment bag at all. It looked identical to mine - same color, same trim, same brand. But it was much lighter than I remembered. I looked a little more closely only to realize it belonged to someone else. So, I put it back on the carousel and waited... and waited... and waited...

Apparently, the person who belonged to the bag that looked like mine actually took my bag and went to his hotel. I began to feel very uncomfortable about the thought of losing all my clothes for the week, not to mention my study Bible and commentaries I had brought with me to prepare for Sunday's sermon. I've had that Bible for ten years, and it has notes and comments written all over the pages from Bible studies gone by. There's great sentimental value with that Bible. I had hoped to pass it along to one of my daughters some day.

As I filled out the proper paperwork at the United Baggage Service desk, my cell phone rang. It was the person who had my bag. He was very apologetic, and it ended up being very easy to switch bags as his hotel was only a few blocks from mine.

I'm reminded about how easy it is to mistake the identity of the genuine artifact. When we consider all the world's religions, there's a lot from which to choose. Which one is the real deal? It's so easy to mistake God's identity in the camouflage of all the other philosophies and beliefs.

People like Lee Strobel and Josh McDowell have written some great books on how to know that Christianity is the one true religion. Strobel's book The Case for Christ was a result of his efforts to debunk the authenticity of Christianity. It's an easy read and is full of great evidence. McDowell's latest release of The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict is a classic textbook for those who are challenged with the tough questions about God, the Bible and Christianity.

Both of these books are must-reads for believers! We all need to be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have.