The Devotional

Papa “J” says

History is made by people who God places in time; Powerful, Political, Professional and Practical! Their influence on the world is Providentially Divine. Proverbs 16:4

This happens a lot and if you've been alive for very long you have seen it happen. Maybe you have even been involved. There is a family, a community or township, a church gathering or maybe even a small group of like minded people. Routinely, life in these little areas of influence will go on normally with little or no visibility, and all seems well. But let something happen out of the norm! The family receives word that aunt Tiddly is coming to visit. She has been away in Europe for the past twenty years. Or the township is hosting a big event and the church or small group is going to entertain a visitor from the mission field. Ever notice – what aunt Tiddly sees or what visitors to the township see, and even what the missionary sees is somewhat out of the norm. Our human nature likes to “put on the show”. To the outsider we what to look perfect, but on the inside we are full of all sorts of deception. Then when the party is over, we wipe our mouth and go on our way and think... “I've done nothing wrong”! This in the eyes of the LORD is adultery. Proverbs 30:20

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15:30-34 These verses further challenge our thoughts of the apostle and his comment on baptism. Believers are not guaranteed tomorrow. We walk, moment by moment, by faith and our faith rests in a city who's builder and maker is God, not on baptism. Hebrew 11:10 and Revelation 21:1-27.

There is another avenue of thought about this baptism that Paul is referring to in that he may not be talking about, “water baptism” at all. He may be speaking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, John 1:33; mentioned by John the Baptizer, and by Luke in Acts 1:5. If so, what would this baptism look like? It would look like... Galatians 2:20. I am dead (crucified) with Christ. Nevertheless I live, but it is no longer I who live. But Christ now lives through me. Now I live by faith, the faith of the Son of God who loves me, who died a baptismal death while I was dead in sin. He is raised from that death and now lives and I live in Him.

I like this baptism for the dead, don't you? Just as there is only One, who can walk on water. There truly is only One, who could be baptized for the dead, who allows the many to follow by faith in Spirit baptism Ephesians 2:1-10, to bring them to life everlasting by faith. What a blessing to know, that salvation belongs to God, He is the only One who can bring us to the New Jerusalem. Why? Well it is simple really, He is the only One who knows the way. Notice that even the physically dead do not know the way. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Now that is comforting. Amen!