Spotting the Countefeit

We got the new $100 bill for the first time just a couple of days ago.  At a garage sale, of all places!

I eyed it suspiciously.

Are you sure? I ask my husband frowning. Doesn’t look real to me!

He takes it back and looks more carefully.

Let me see… no, it’s real.

The debate over whether the note was a counterfeit or not continued through the weekend. 

The power of the counterfeit is in its stunning resemblance to the real money. All the obvious similarities. The big numbers and the main images. The color and the shape. If you are unfamiliar with the real, it’s quite unnerving.  The bigger the investment, the greater insecurity.

This morning, while I was reading, our son came into the bedroom and took the bill in his hand and started examining it methodically.

It’s real. There is a watermark, and the security thread, and see the color shifting ink… He held the note towards the light moving it back and forth. Plus the micro-printing… notice all the minuscule details?  

I really don’t want to hear about his findings because I feel interrupted. In my Bible reading, of all things! I am about to kick him out of the room when a tiny light bulb flashes inside my head.

In the realm of spirituality, there are many who make bold claims. Quoting Bible verses. Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Mohammed, Dr. Phil. All good guys. We all use same words. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell the difference between valuable and worthless. They all look alike on the surface.  

How do I know what is real?!!!

Suddenly, it occurs to me that if the United States Department of Treasury goes through so much trouble to protect us against counterfeits, wouldn’t God do the same? 

Wouldn’t He put in place unmistakable distinguishing features, impossible to falsify details that ensure we are able to tell the difference between real treasure and worthless imitation? 

So anyone who wants to can know... 

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27

You will know them by their fruits. Matthew 7:15-20

Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Acts 17:10-12