The Devotional

What does Papa “J” Say?

The soul that is rich in Jesus is a soul that is ransomed for the kingdom and the soul that is poor in Jesus does not hear and ignores the call of John 3:16 and Proverbs 13:8

A familiar passage to all of us is Isaiah 1:16-17 where Isaiah who is writing for God explains that as a nation, God expects us to wash ourselves of the filth of the world. This is not a physical washing as some might apply, but a spiritual washing. Take a look back at the earlier verses. Verse 4, Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evil doers. Verse 6, From the sole of the foot, even to the head, there is no soundness. Yes, Isaiah is commanded by God to write to Israel concerning this national problem, but it does not take much wisdom to see that this same challenge is right in our face today. Look at verse 7, (while at the present all of this verse does not apply), but the middle of the verse does, Strangers devour our land. They do this boldly and we let them. The rug of freedom is being snatched from under our feet and like the American Indian we are settling for little reservations of land, while others take over and trample our vineyards and live in our besieged cities. There is a remedy, praise God for His Mercy! Isaiah 1:18-19 and read on because if we refuse His remedy, God has spoken! Isaiah 1:19-20. We do not need resources, we need repentance! What hurts the most is that some are scoffing at this.

The Gospel of John

John 13:6-11 We have all heard the story of Peter desiring a full cleansing from Jesus in this passage as the LORD who is Master of everything and Servant of all washes the feet of His disciples. Many of us would have reacted the same way as the apostle, but we can take a deeper look at to just what it is that Jesus is doing or demonstrating in this passage.

As Master of everything, Jesus is the Authority over Creation. When God spoke the world into existence it was the Word of God (Jehovah) that accomplished this. This is Power and Authority that cannot be measured by any human standard or science. When we believe in God, He in His Power and Authority as the Incarnate Word of God (Jesus), washes us with the Blood of the Lamb.

Not all are clean, since religions do not recognize the Blood of the Lamb. Religion recognizes the works of man. Peter adds to the ongoing cleansing of Jesus (hands and head) and Jesus says. No, this is not necessary, you've had your bath, but there are those who are not bathed in the Blood of the Lamb. These are betrayers and even though I wash their feet because I will die for the sin of the world, they are still not clean because their religion and unbelief keeps them unclean.