The Devotional

Papa “J” says

Spiritual maturity does not go with physical age and seldom has anything to do with any chronological measurement. Since this mystery is revealed only to those who have it. 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

The last submarine I was on was the USS Hyman G. Rickover SSN 709. One week after my daughter died at the age of five, one of our sailors committed suicide because he had failed to qualify a professional prerequisite for being on submarines. He was ridiculed by his peers and the pressure of measuring up was to much. I knew him well, he came to our small group bible studies and prayer times. The night he ended his life, I was the Command Duty Officer and was required to identify his body. Since I had just lost my daughter, others on the ship did not want me to do this task. I said that I was up to it, but one of the other men who was equal in rate as my self was called in to go with me to the place where this sailor's body was being held. You know, I am glad they did this for me since as I stood there looking at the lifeless body of a friend whom I had prayed with on several occasions, I just could not bring myself to say that, that body belonged to my friend. So, the other person identified the man. But something good came out of it. The man at my side got saved as time went on. Hi Floyd, I hope you are reading this today.

Psalm 22

Psalm 22:17-21 The weight of sin has separated man from His Creator and through the death of our LORD we have reconciliation. There are three phases in dying this death that Jesus faces. First, there is the thought of His life and that God His Father is the giver and sustainer. Secondly we see our Savior surveying the purpose of His death. That sin, Satan and death are expressing in real terms a crushing reality that death is imminent through the people, the place and the things used in bringing about His death.

Lastly, we see His personal account as He inventories the suffering and approaching death, the people around Him and the loss of help from God the Father and the Holy Spirit. It is at this moment that hope in His Father's commitment to Him returns. Psalm 22:21a and 2 Timothy 4:17-18. As the apostle Paul explains. In all things God is faithful. Every evil work will be destroyed and everyone can be assured that as Christ died for our sin, He was also risen from that death because His Father is faithful.

Notice Psalm 22:21b. Lets read it together “You have answered Me”. As the LORD passes from physical life to physical death, at that very instant of dying He is immediately aware that God the Father has not only answered Him, but that Jesus is now home and present with His Father. The battle is over, victory is at the cross and so it is with all souls who will place their trust in the faithfulness of God. Romans 5:6-11