The Devotional

Papa “J” Says

left alone, the rich will produce most anything, including harmful things! Better is the labor of the poor than the apathy of the rich. Proverbs 28:6

Once at a fire, I was going through a house that had been leveled by a fire and explosion that was caused by the man of the house who had been staining his kitchen cabinets. I was checking for hot spots, I had a backup person on the hose behind me and we were moving from one spot to the next. I had a four foot extension on the end of the hose and was dousing the hot spots with lots of water by placing the extension into the burning area. The power of the water when the nozzle is open is very strong and you need to be planted firmly even with a second person on the hose. I thought, this hot spot was small, one small shot of water and it will be out. I applied the nozzle, turn on the water and immediately I was lifted a few inches off the surface and landed on my back. The water was shooting into the air at nothing. I was not ready and my backup person was not ready either. In order to be safe in anything you do, you must take the necessary steps to ensure safety, first. Fortunately neither of us was hurt seriously, but the potential for back injury, cuts from broken glass or protruding nails and other hazardous objects were all around. Errors in judgment do not have to happen, but errors always happen when we think that we are bigger than the problem at hand.

1 Corinthians 11

1 Corinthians 11:1-16 Sometimes you run into passages of scripture that make you wonder why they are there since these seem to cause much confusion in churches. The thought of dishonoring God because of head coverings and shaving of the hair seems humanly ridiculous, but lets see if we cannot find some spiritual blessing for us.

When the gospel goes to the gentiles with Peter in Acts 10, Peter makes a bold statement (Acts 10:27-29); Jewish law contends with Roman culture. In most cases even today we run into cultures, customs and laws that stand as barriers between believers in Christ. These things ought not be because the law of liberty in Christ has set us free from these human or man made barriers.

Actually this passage from verse 1 through 16 helps us overcome the contentions that develop within a church. If I have a problem with the way someone dresses, keeps his or her hair or does anything that causes me to be selfishly offended, then I am in no position to partake of the LORD's table. My conduct is not like that of Christ, verse 1. Our LORD is not as concerned about these things as we can be. But He is concerned about our obedience to the Word. 1 Corinthians 11:16 puts it all in perspective.