The Devotional

Papa J's rules for Livin #115

Humans have a helper! His Name is Jesus. All of creation abides under the laws of the Creator, except the human, when it comes to following Him, the human has less integrity than the ant or the locust!

Proverbs 30:24-28

The very first duty station I had in the Navy was at the Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, VA and my first assignment was the Personal Accounting Machine Installation. (PAMI) Today these installations are called Personal Support Activities (PSA). Amazing, but my last assignment in the Navy was a (PSA) in Groton, Connecticut at the New London Naval Base. In Norfolk, I was nothing more than a young sailor taking orders. In Groton I was the Supply Officer, giving orders. In Norfolk, my father wanted everyone to know that his son was on a fighting ship, a man of war, so he told all of his friends that I was on the USS PAMI. While on leave, his friends asked me about the USS PAMI, what kind of ship is it? Not wanting to embarrass my dad, I carried on with his lie. In the midst of his friends was a recently retired sailor who came alongside and quietly said, “How do you get the USS PAMI to stay afloat with all that brick and mortar holding her together these days?” There is coming a day when, at the Judgment Seat of Christ that questions of integrity will be raised by the LORD and the cover up will be OVER!

James 4

James 4:1-6 Here is a passage of scripture that is often overlooked because we want to believe that this could never apply to us holy saints of God. We do not want the world to know that we battle and fight with other saints so we are very clever in this cover up. So clever that when our hearts devise wicked imaginations about other saints of God, that we lie to our self and say we've done nothing wrong. To add insult to injury, we do it all in the name of God. Backbiting with other saints we destroy the good character of those we call friends and brothers and sisters in the LORD, even. We destroy the good character of those we are talking to as well since we drag them down to our level of deceit.

James calls this activity, “adultery” and we say, “tish-tosh” I have never committed adultery so this cannot apply to me. Idolatry is adultery in the face of God and it is interesting how He proves this point in Isaiah 57:1-6. Isaiah clearly calls the activity that James talks of; adultery, a religious round table of idle talk and coveting that when it is time for prayer, the direction is out of line with the purpose or plan of God. Our friendships are worldly and selfish these days. Do you know why I know this? I hear a lot of praying and pleading to God and yet, I hear very little praise among us of God answering.

We want help from God, we cry out for answers and we miss the mark. Is this the fault of God? God forbid that we should think such a thing. It is you and me who miss the mark and have nothing to praise God for. The apostle knows more about “grace” than most scholars give him credit for. If we are willing to strip ourselves of gossip (sin) and religion (idolatry) which are the sins pride and adultery. God will see in our humble estate of revival that we are worthy of more 'GRACE” and grace is all the answer to prayer that we will ever need. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Some will say but grace is not an answer to prayer. Oh! Then why is it said? “For grace you have been saved by faith...”