The Devotional

Papa “J” Says

The early and late rains bring fruit, wheat and food for the harvest. Such as it is with the LORD, if we follow Him; His presence reigns and prepares us in the same way. Hosea 6:3

Cape Hatteras and the Bermuda Triangle are two of the roughest areas of water off the Eastern coast of the United States. Water in the Bermuda Triangle is always rough and looks as if there is no current. The water sort of pops up like boiling water in a pot on the stove, when at it's worst the mounds of water can reach twenty five to thirty five feet. What make it so dangerous is that the weight of a ship means nothing to the water that can lift the vessel up out of the water and break it in two pieces. Three destroyers were escorting an oil tanker to Norfolk, VA and we were laboring through these waters at 12 knots; that is about 19 miles per hour. I was on one of the destroyers and the tanker was taking on water, all of us were moving slow, at any moment we expected the tanker to break in half, or maybe one of the destroyers. But at any rate, we must keep moving moving on. “We may stay up, or we may go down” said one sailor, “but we must keep moving forward”. The new year is tomorrow. Jesus may come and we may go up. Or, we may die, and go down and then go up. But at any rate, we must keep moving forward. May your new year be blessed of the LORD. So let's keep looking up!

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11:27-34 I see the communion service as a most holy event and I am always eager to participate. Not only is it a time for some serious reflection on my spiritual condition or health, but it is a time to be close to Jesus. The examination that is to take place should be one of the most serious things we do, not only at this service but throughout the day, everyday. If you like being close to the LORD then it is mandatory to keep account of your spiritual life.

In Handel's Messiah, there is a section that says; “Worthy is the Lamb, that was slain” The song can bring a person to spiritual heights that cannot be duplicated except at the LORD's table. There is coming a “day” in eternity when time will no longer exist, a day when; “Worthy is the LAMB” will be a continuing spiritual expression from our soul. We need to be judging our walk moment by moment. Also we need the chastening of the LORD when we seek to live as the condemned. Trust in the LORD and do good, the healthy soul is made of trust. Proverbs 3:5-8

We come together at various times, in small groups or large ones and most times distractions tend to draw us away spiritually and our focus becomes physical. There is that one who is hungry, another is tired. Some may be suffering through a headache, or some other physical need. If we consider our condition above the condition of others who are also suffering through some issue, then the spiritual blessing of the soul is lost. “Worthy is the LAMB that was slain” has lost that spiritual effect and our moment is not blessed of the LORD. For people who focus on self, the church meeting or small group meeting means nothing spiritually and the soul suffers.