The Devotional

Papa “J” says

Recipes: I like to cook, but the best recipe is the One that is already prepared. You only need to find your place at the table and enjoy! John 6:47:51 and John 6:63

I have glanced at some of the things that I've written in the past and wonder what I had on my mind at the time. Surely there are events that are true and others with thoughtful facts about life in general. But, more importantly are the events of life centered around a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. These things are not just related to a handful of people, think about it! If God helps me to remember an event of my past and I share it, there are a number of people involved to make the event a “story to tell”. If the event is related to submarines there are at the least, one hundred and twenty four other men involved, not counting the wives and children who are home waiting for the return of their husband and father. So what is the point, the point is that anyone of us can have a story to tell and the impact is large. Imagine if all of us were to put together a word or two about something God was currently doing in our lives. The world could not contain the book that could be written. Each day of our lives God does volumes of blessing, (John 21:25) the sad thing is that many of us are blind. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6.

The Gospel of John

John 1:29-34 The continuing testimony of John the baptizer. Can you think about him for a moment. A lot of sermons or teaching has developed over the years about this man. Most of the information about him is taken from the bible and certainly he had character. His eating habits would be strange to us today, or at least for some of us. His clothing might be strange to some, but more and more in today's world the norm and standard of dress changes daily.

So, these things about John the baptizer can be distracting, even deceptive when it comes to the reason of why John was born and given the ministry of water baptism. Now we certainly do not have time to go over all that John did, the miracle of his birth, the relationship of Elisabeth and Mary, the Holy Spirit's involvement with both births and other related events, but we do have time and paper for this that follows.

John witnessed the LAMB of God, God's preferred gift to all those who believe and are covered in the blood of LAMB. A sacrifice is a gift of love and John saw Jesus in this Light. “I came baptizing with water” but He has come to baptize with the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 3:11, Matthew records that the baptismal gift of Jesus is with fire and the Spirit. If you've had this baptism then you have the same testimony as that of John the baptizer that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. What a gift, there is none greater.