The Devotional

Papa “J” says

Want to look your best? The LORD has beautiful chains of silver and gold to put around your neck. Take note of this and put it in your heart, then see what He will do! Proverbs 3:3-4

On one short trip to sea, we took a Marine Corps Officer with us. He was high ranking and requested to ride one of boats just for the experience. Submarines are equipped with various air systems. 4,500psi used for getting the submarine to the surface; 3,000psi for various equipments; 750psi systems for discharging waste or variable ballast and 100psi system for service air. A smaller air system of roughly 2psi is used for emergency breathing. The Marine Corps Officer was required to bunk in the torpedo room. His bunk was just a foot above the 3,000psi system. Whenever these systems are pressurized to capacities that are greater than what it is designed for, relief valves will open to release the excess air. Should I continue? The Machinist Mate on watch was charging the 3,000psi system and failed to secure the air compressor. The systems relief valves went off. The chatter of this sounds just like machine guns fire, the Major woke with a start, raise his head rather rapidly and struck it on the piping above him knocking himself silly for a number of minutes. The Machinist Mate was reprimanded and life went on, but then again, this can be life for those unaware guests on any U.S. Submarine.

The Gospel of John

John 1:1-51 God knows the very end of things before the things begin, it is safe to say that God personally knows your day of birth and your day of death. This being true he also understands that we are but dust. Now there are several verses to reference this, here are a few and if you were to do a word search you will find the others; Psalm 103:14 Isaiah 46:10, Ecclesiastes 7:1.

It is necessary to rethink some my comments from the first chapter of John and as much as I dislike rework, it will be necessary to do just that. In the Devotionals #189 and #187 I stated that it was one or two days after the baptism of Jesus had passed, but this is a chronological error. As you recall in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke each writer makes some mention of the water baptism of Jesus and His immediate departure under the power of the Holy Spirit for fasting and trial.

In John's gospel there is no mention of the baptism of Jesus. So the focus in not on these events, but on His ordination and ministry. Things that we covered as we went through those verses. I hope that you are not confused, I certainly was for a time, but the Holy Spirit kept prompting me that I was missing something. Chronology can be difficult! Thanks for your help Larry.

The following quote is from Harmony of the Gospels by Harold Hoehner:  Jn 1:19–2:11 Presents the first week of Jesus’ ministry: Day 1: the Baptist’s witness concerning Jesus (1:19–28); Day 2: the Baptist’s encounter with Jesus (1:29–34); Day 3: the Baptist’s referral of two of his disciples to Jesus (1:35–39); Day 4: Andrew’s introduction of his brother Peter to Jesus (1:40–42); Day 5: the recruitment of Philip and Nathanael (1:43–51); and Day 7: the wedding at Cana (2:1–11). During this early stage of Jesus’ ministry, He is hailed by the Baptist as “God’s lamb” (1:29, 36), is followed by His first disciples, and performs His first “sign,” turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana (2:11).