The Devotional

Papa “J” Says

Yawning is a reaction of brain fatigue! Complacency is being self-satisfied that all is okay. Combining the two results in failure to see the wall before it slaps you is forgetting about what you did the night before!

One thing that I've tried to do is to keep us looking back to the past. I do this in order that we might see the future. In fact; the Word of God does just that. All of the Bible was written over two thousand years ago and it is so alive with truth that it will talk to us about the past, the present and the future; and all of that in the same verse. So, I have no problem spending a paragraph of words to talk to us about some past event. Or, that of someone else if they wish to share something with me that will help all of us to see the future. Satchel Paige, a baseball great once said, Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you. Well, sometimes it is good to be overrun by the past! We truly need a change in this country in many arenas, but the youthful political neophytes who hold the offices of government today are not the change we need. We cannot give up our freedom and independence because we've been told believe in socialistic control. I see this country walking down the same path as Israel did when Rehoboam decided to follow the youthful ambitions of his peers rather than the council of the elders. 1 Kings 12:1-8

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 14:6-19 Reflecting back to 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul explains that we partially know some things about the Spiritual needs of the church, so the result is that we prophesy in partial way. He also says that when the perfect comes, this partial condition will go away. Verses 9 and 10. Many sermons and in depth teachings have come from these verses and I have, like you too, heard most of them. Here is what I believe.

From the context of the these three chapters; 12, 13 and 14 we know that the Spiritual needs of the church; these “spirituals” as the Greek text describes them are temporal. But, this does not mean that these were only going to be around for the early church, then disappear. These manifestations of the Spirit of God are available and used when needed. Also, this does not mean that if one person spoke in a prophetic way; tongues, wisdom, or knowledge that he or she will be availed of the Holy Spirit to do it again.

These temporal spiritual needs can fall on anyone simply because a need normally does not sit around and wait for sister Mona or brother Gonna to show up! God is decent and orderly in His conduct in all things, so why should we expect that the manifestations of the Spirit of God to be anything less. If the languages of the world around us have a dialect, a wisdom and a knowledge factor. Why should we believe that the Spirit gives an utterance of some unintelligent gargle that scares people away? Well, let God speak to you about this and see what He says.