The Devotional

Papa J's rules for Livin #155

Have you felt the solid Rock of Faith? Jeremiah puts in these words. “Heal me O LORD and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved. For You are my praise. Jeremiah 17:14

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who cast their eyes this way and may God who comforts us bless you and your family with good things. We cannot change the people or circumstances around us and the truth is that we should be thankful for this. Some of those people we would like to know better but the circumstances of life prevents this. Some we see more often and the circumstances of life provides this. God in His infinite wisdom causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called in accordance to His purpose. Romans 8:28 is a well used and misused verse when it comes to these hard issues of life long struggles to know thanksgiving. Yet, apart from this verse of scripture and others like it there is nothing to be thankful for. To know this merely listen to the secular messages from the media, or from friends and relatives who do not personally know forgiveness from God through the sacrificial death of His Jesus Christ. So God, in the strength and power of His Love gave us forgiveness even while we were yet unforgiven (Romans 5:8). This by the way does not remove our circumstance of being sinful, it does something more, it opens the door to be forgiven. This pathway is to heal us for a saved eternal life relationship with God, and the example to follow for the pathway to heal and save our natural life with the people in our life. The good news is always the open door of forgiveness and the choice is always available.

1 Corinthians 4

1 Corinthians 4:14-21 The apostle warns us that God is our Father and He has provided the Spirit and not the Letter as 2 Corinthians 3:1-6 puts it. It is the Spirit of God who provides life to the Words written and it is He who provides truth that guides us to Jesus. That as a result of the ministry of God the Holy Spirit we actually become epistles of Christ, not written on tablets of paper or stone, but actually written on tablets within the heart. That through the scriptures we might follow Christ.

What does this mean? It means that over time we will listen to many people who claim to know something about God, some of these things we hear are not worth listening to. We can be moved or separated from truth and when we are, we are allowing pride to override grace. Pride diverts us to legalism or liberalism. Pride also sets the table for prosperity type gospels that direct us away from God who meets all of our needs and steals the power of Christ from us.

God's desire is for us to imitate the One who is the gospel, when the grace of God is visible it is not because of the instructor, nor is it the result of the epistle. God's grace is visible because people filled with the Holy Spirit are instructing us in the gentleness of the Spirit of God. The Word of God is alive, it is powerful, peaceful, graceful, joyful, faithful, gentle and full of self-control and we who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Those who are puffed up are not walking in the Spirit. Galatians 5:25-26.