The Devotional

Papa “J” and his thoughts?

This Proverb does not mean that wisdom is not found in the scoffer, it means that a scoffer never finds the easy path of understanding used like the one who does not scoff. Proverbs 14:6

Recently we studied the “one another” passages that challenge us to move away from the things that hinder our walk as disciples of Jesus Christ. There are many passages that challenge us to look to the other person, to place a higher esteem on others, rather that putting ourselves first. These many passages fall into a least 24 categories. Maybe when we finish Hebrews the LORD will open the door for this as a study project. In the meantime as we close out Hebrews and the Year 2010, I would like to challenge us all to consider what it means to; esteem the other person better than you esteem yourself, since this is the basis of the “one another” passages. The passage of scripture that my statements will be founded on is; Philippians 2:1-4.

We have been talking over the last few months about; Grace, Faith, Hope and Love. To the secular world these words are known but are not practiced. Did I hear many of you say... hogwash? Take a moment and watch some of the newsreels rolling today. It is the last day of the year so many media outlets are expressing the various events of the past year. Most of what you see is bloodshed, injury and death by the hands of human against human. In all these we see the selfish greed of SIN. Sin? YES, sin! Here are some of the sins we see daily on the news. Abortion, same sex marriages, murders, abuse of every kind. Robbery and scams of every conceivable kind. Cheating, maligning, adultery and babies born out of wedlock. These are just a few of the SINS of the world and we have labeled most of them legal, or molded our society to accommodate them as normal human actions of grace, faith, hope and love. Let me tell you if you've not already guessed. This is the “HOGWASH” fed to most of us and we chow down on it with a greedy selfish heart, like that of a mad hog.

All of the so called natural disasters are shown as people coming together to assist one another. But this is not the one another of God, because the media clearly points out that mother nature is the cause of the disaster and God who allows nature to go beyond the laws of safety is ignored. This maybe good, since under the authority of mother nature, one cannot even get mad at God, if one might be inclined to do so. Besides the secular world works grace, faith, hope and love to the back side of their pants pocket where the wallet is found. Notice the millions of dollars spent to repair the broken hearted and wreck the economy.

Two Thousand Eleven begins a new decade for us, so I leave you today with this challenge. If there is any encouragement found in the Christ of the Bible, whom I am always seeking to share with you. If you have found any comfort in His love, if you have tasted of the goodness of His grace through the fellowship He has offered through His Holy Spirit and if you have been affected by His affection and mercy for YOU. Then fulfill my joy by beginning to be minded like He is. Begin to be one another minded with purpose, cast away those things that make us sinful and SELFISH. Stop letting your self ambition destroy your relationships with others. Reorganize your mind to include others needs and place them ahead of your own. Humble yourself before God and man and know that God loves you. Paraphrased – Philippians 2:1-4.

The Devotional

Papa “J” and his thoughts?

One of the signs of the end times is an evidence of a lack of faith in all the civilizations of the world over. The world seeks a false witness to rule. Luke 18:1-8 and Proverbs 14:4

I cannot explain to you the quality of love that I have for the Living Word of God, but I can explain that this love is only constant when I involve myself with God in His Personal character. You see Jesus is God! He is also the Word of God who dwelt among us because He became human flesh like you and me. To get a partial grasp of this, you would begin with the gospel of John and read the first eighteen verses of chapter one. Please, do not take my word for this wonderful truth of love. What I experience by faith is common among believers in Jesus Christ because we share this common confession of faith, but even my brothers and sisters in the family of God have this faith because it is personal to each of us, even though it is common. (Jude 1:3) When I talk about the matters of faith in God, which is often, I seek to be practical and use practical analogies to bring the point home to the reader so I reckon you could brand me with the word, pragmatist. But as always, here is the point. Faith in God is not skepticism! Faith in God is not believing a lie! Faith in God is not founded on fiction! And, faith in God is not based on any object or human concept generated by the heart of mankind. Faith in God is God's Plan for you and for me. The object of faith in God is founded on mystery of godliness who is Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 1:1-4 and while this truth remains a mystery for some. Jesus is the only practical solution to man's problem with SIN!

HEBREWS

Hebrews 13:16 We should take a look at sacrifice, we missed some of that opportunity yesterday in Hebrews 13:15 the sacrifice of praise, or the use of the lips to bring glory to our Creator. Have you noticed in churches the number of people who do not open their mouth to give thanks, to sing psalms, or worship God? What is so sad for me is to see is an elderly person who has, his or her lips sealed with the hardened glue of bitterness.

Sacrifice in a very real sense is the ability to explode with your soul in an expression of JOY in the LORD, or the result of confidence of the HOPE a soul has in the LORD and the greatest expression of this sacrifice is the LOVE enjoyed by the one who is willing to walk in accordance with 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. If we want to be pleasing to God and I am sure we do, then we must be willing to sacrifice. Sacrifice begins with an expression of our soul through our lips.

If you go to church and I hope you do, then you must place yourself under the authority of those who are leaders in the church. They have the responsibility to watch over your soul and they will also give an account to God concerning you. If your mouth wags in disrespect, that is not sacrifice. Your pastor's report to God will not be profitable for you. A faithful person is one that can be counted on for a sacrifice that is pleasing to God. Don't be fooled in this as some of us have a long way to go, faith in God is not impossible. Since Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8, He is also the Author of Faith. Hebrews 12:1-2.

The Devotional

Papa “J” and his thoughts?

When is the last time you thought about an OX? We might lend our thoughts more readily to a John Deere, huh? That is until one takes a tour of places like; Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania. Here we realize that godly labor produces much increase with the ox, it always has. Proverbs 14:4

As a First Responder in critical developments like, fire, auto accidents and medical emergencies a responder will face events that they have been trained to handle. Also with longevity in any career a person will often develop a successful routine. Emergency responders must avoid routine, their understanding of quenching the fire, extricating the injured and comforting the sick must include methods that appear routine, but fall into a different category called precautionary. The fireman must ensure that his or her clothing and equipment is on and functioning properly. The emergency responder personnel must ensure that their clothing and machinery to extract victims is working properly and the emergency medical team must be protected from the various illnesses and injuries encountered. This requires constant training. In addition to all of this training it is helpful to know that if I commit what I do to the LORD, He will direct my steps and establish my thoughts. Proverbs 16:3 It is equally nice to KNOW that God will protect me in the mist of the battle. Psalm 91:1-16. As a nation we have set aside precaution (God) for complacency (Self). Trouble is on the horizon! I wonder? Do we as a nation have enough emergency responders (Saints) to quench, extract and comfort? Genesis 18:16-33. Should we be concerned about such things as this? Those who say no! Shame on you. Read it Again 2 Peter 3:10-13 There is still time to repent, isn't there?

HEBREWS

Hebrews 13:13 It is important that you and I tune in to our soul. For, far to long we have ignored it, haven't we! Tradition, religion and the American way has failed. It takes very little thought to realize this. One only needs to take a look at the expression of life in the United States today. Unkempt people, clothing hanging on bodies that look like rags out of the dump and the odor to go with it. The camp we live in today is the result of failure, not prosperity. It is time we looked to Jesus Christ, it is time to bear His reproach, it is time to go outside this camp of complacency.

Hebrews 13:14 Obvious to us is that we live in a city that cannot continue under it's present SINFUL state of existence. Only those who belong to Christ who has reconciled us back to God by grace through faith can seek the new city to come. The New Jerusalem. If you have not been saved from this adulterous generation, marriage is not honorable to you. Your conduct is full self and your outlook on life is a vivid picture of death. 2 Corinthians 2:16.

Hebrews 13:15 There are those of us who are continually motivated by the love of God to praise Him. This however is not done by any one of us in an hour or two on a Sunday morning. Our motivation is based on the Truth of Scripture. To leave behind the natural (sinful) way of life and follow the LORD Jesus Christ. This is a sacrifice of at least two conditions. One: That Praise to God willing comes from our lips for His; So great a salvation! Hebrews 2:3 and Two: Confessing thanks to God, in the Name of Jesus Christ who is our Victory. 2 Corinthians 2:12-17.

The Devotional

Papa “J” and his thoughts?

The strength of pride runs deep in the hearts of us all. It is the reason why Satan fell from the grace of God. Pride is selfishness in action, the bitterness of defilement. Pride suppresses the Truth like that of the fool who says there is no God. Psalm 53:1 and Proverbs 14:3

I was thinking (now that can be dangerous) about the word dominion. You may be saying; so what? Dominion is far from my thoughts! Okay, but bear with me for a moment and see if it is on your mind more than you willing to admit. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says that I have dominion over the dictionary simply because it belongs to me. So as small as dominion can be boiled down too, it can also be demonstrated to it's grandest expression and that is the point! I own a dictionary! Is it important that I prove it? Faith then takes over and says, okay you own the dictionary, good enough! But, there is another element to ownership and dominion! The elements of this planet were created by God. The earth is alive with plants, animals, fish, birds and all sorts of creeping things that crawl in and out of the earth. In Psalm 8:3-9 King David is thinking about ownership and dominion. He is considering the created (Ownership) of God and then he asks God, “What is man that You are mindful of him and the sons of man that You visit? God has made man a “little” lower than the angel, but even so you have placed Your Glorious Image on man, what? (Dominion) Psalm 8:6-9 talks about this dominion. God owns all that He Created, but He has given it to you and me, for dominion. Oh! Sad day, sad day, we have treated what God has given us so badly that He will need to replace soon! 2 Peter 3:10-13.

HEBREWS

Hebrews 13:10 There is a continuing thread of solid truth throughout the Bible that proves God's love for your soul. The soul is the real you, it is to be untouched by the outside world around us. The only One who has access to You (soul) is God Himself. It is the altar from where you serve God and no one has the right to partake of the substance of your soul (altar) other that God Himself.

Hebrews 13:11 The efforts of religion over the centuries has in many ways confused and distorted the capacity of the soul. Even the covenants and promises of God have become idolatress, simply because man has mixed human effort with truth to develop works to try and prove his worth to God, over faith in God. Works of human effort prove nothing but sin to God.

Hebrews 13:12 God in His infinite Wisdom went beyond the finite limits of man with His Son Jesus. Outside the limits of man, God born His Son in the womb of the virgin Mary. A man without a sinful nature, he had no human father. Hebrews 10:5-9 states that God Himself prepared a body, a sinless body to reconcile your soul and mind back to Himself. You and I must be willing to take a look outside the religious camps of the world and see Jesus who suffered and died for your sins and mine. But this is not the end of the Story; It's the beginning. He is Risen! He is coming a second time soon and His reward is with Him. Revelation 22:12

The Devotional

Papa “J” and his thoughts?

How do we classify life when it comes to integrity, we would like to make it complicated, but the simple truth is that there are those who are wise and those that are foolish and they also fall into two other categories. Male and Female! Proverbs 14:1-2

It would seem to me that the society that we now live in is somewhat socialistic. We have become a nation of governmental care. The government has at least one finger of influence in everything you and I do, and in very short time may have a full grasp. The two primary governmental controls are education and health care. Under these two umbrellas are the puppet strings that control the way we live life, seek liberty and pursue happiness. This is not my personal view. In a way I wish it were, then I could be classified as a blight on the American Way, but there is a generation of young Americans who have never heard the phrase (The American Way) in a serious conversation. So, the question is: Should we “trash the government” and start all over? If you answered yes, then you are a part of the problem. The government is simply a tool of we the people. We have allowed the government to lead, guide and direct us because we have become complacent. If the government is failing, it is failing because we the people are failing. You say; “How have we failed?” We have polluted our Love relationship with the Living God just as Israel did. Please: Read the four chapters of Malachi.

HEBREWS

Hebrews 13:5-6 Are we content with the things that we have today? Are you satisfied Mr. and Mrs. Christian in your marriage or do you covet another one's husband or wife. Have you become dis-interested in your spouse? Would you say that the joy of living life under the sun is no longer a joy? Many homes are in an attitude of misconduct? I am not talking about the homes of unbelievers in Christ. I am talking to those who claim that Jesus has given them abundant life. John 10:7-18.

We covet what we cannot have and we have what we cannot covet. Our desires are not focused on God who said He would never leave us or forsake us! Do we not see that God who is always with us cannot be coveted, so our covetousness, if we covet! Falls on things other than what God has provided. And that my beloved friend is SIN!

So God has said through His Word, that we should be able to say boldly: God is my helper. Do we say this by faith or by works. By faith He meets my every need, by faith He provides my joy and happiness. By faith He gives me life, abundant life and everlasting life. If I do not have this confidence I cannot by faith say. What can man do to me? But in this faith I will say, I do not fear.