A Devotional Look at the Book #511

A Thought for today by Papa “J”

I would say that the School of the Resurrection is higher, more trustworthy and nobler then any school of higher learning and the apostle Paul would agree… Philippians 3:1-11

A DAY IN THE PAST, THE PRESENT OR THE FUTURE

In March of 1983 sailors began reporting for duty at the Electric Boat Shipyard; I was among them, just about twenty to twenty five of us. My duty station would was yet to be named; USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) a Los Angeles 688 Class Submarine. When I first saw the ship it was nothing more than a steel hull in a shipyard dry-dock. In October 2005 Louise and I drove to Norfolk, Virginia to witness the retirement of this submarine from active duty. There we stood, many of the men of the first crew along with their wives and family. We watched as the last crew of the Rickover filed one by one off the ship and stood single file on pier. The Union Jack was lowered and the Colors too. The ship was now officially retired from active duty. The flag was given to Mrs. Hyman G. Rickover. The pride of these sailors of old and of her last crew is not the pride of being able to say that we are submarine sailors. No! The pride is in the truth that we served together from beginning to end, our mission touched a bit of this countries historical freedom. Yet today because of political rhetoric and poor housekeeping another group of men and women are getting very close to destroying the two hundred thirty five years of Commissioned Independence that witnessed the first submarine launched; the USS Holland (SS 1) in 1897 and commissioned in 1900. This first sub was decommissioned in 1905. There is now a national witness of future freedom which will be observed by the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. We watch and wait as do our families of this lands future orders to stand for freedom or die as slaves. We shall live to see which way God will move the pendulum! James 4:13-17.

2 Peter

2 Peter 3:1-2 – Have you ever thought that the writers of the epistles could have been more specific or even wrote longer, more explanatory books? According to the apostles Peter and Paul; this was not necessary since the writers of the Old Testament took on that God ordained ministry. God used the New Testament writers; His apostles to command us to study the entire Living Word; to be diligent and to be approved of God. We have this assignment and responsibly to do the biblical work of rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Are you? 2 Timothy 2:15.

2 Peter 3:3-4 – Scoffers? Are there really scoffers? You do not need to be a biblical student to know the answer. Even people who have never cracked open a Bible scoff. There are some who still believe that if you accidently drop the Bible it will hit the floor; turn into a snake; bite them and they will die. That is simply walking in the epitome of their selfish lusts. Yet, there are the knowledgeable scoffers and these are the ones referred to by the apostle. The ones who study to fulfill their selfish lusts in order to confuse and distort the Living Word of God and there many who do just that.

God’s promise of His return is not slack and in verse 4, the apostle Peter sets this principle in motion by causing man to come face to face with eternal truth and earthly truth. Men say; “Where is the promise of His coming? Since the fathers died, all things continue as before”! These forget that at the beginning of creation; time began to tick, tick, tick away. This alone limits man to know the fullness of God’s promise; God is not slack, but man’s understanding IS.

A Devotional Look at the Book #5010

A Thought for today by Papa “J”

Even though a person like Sir Thomas Moore describes the peaceful existence of an Island called Utopia; the place does not exist on earth or in the heart of mankind. However; God who created the universe and your soul will personally give you peace as a gift of His love. Romans 5:1-5, Why? Because Romans 5:8 applies.

A DAY IN THE PAST, THE PRESENT OR THE FUTURE

Sandbank and Dunoon Scotland are located in the area of Scotland called the Firth of Clyde near Holy Loch. Both small towns are within the walking distance of 2.5 miles. While serving on submarines in the late seventies I made several trips in and out of Holy Loch. Our ship was assigned to SUBRON 14 (Submarine Squadron Fourteen). Sandbank was the little town that most of the sailors would go to for liberty, but many hiked the distance to Dunoon as this town was much larger. I was a young believer in Christ at the age of 35 and was interested in finding a church that knew the LORD. During our own Bible studies and prayer time we looked to the LORD to help us find such a place and before long, one Sunday we walked into an old church building because the music coming from inside was familiar. “A child of the King, a child of the King; with Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King” Folks; it does not matter where you are on this earth, if you seek the Father’s family you will find them. You will find them in the Word, in prayer and in fellowship. When you meet and speak with them they will forever be written in your soul as brothers and sisters of Christ in you; the only true hope of glory. Colossians 3:10-11. These three truths of God and His saints are the same truth that has motivated the Church of Jesus Christ for two thousand years; the same truth that the apostle John shares with us in 1 John 1:1-4

2 Peter

2 Peter 2:18-19 – Do you remember that earlier we said that false teachers use the same criteria to deceive people as Satan does and we referenced 1 John 2:15-17. Here in this verse we see this deception again with the added adverb; licentiousness. Sometimes I wonder why this seems to happen to people who seem to be pillars of faith. If you look at the last couple of decades, names will come up of pastors and teachers who have fallen.

My thoughts are satisfied by this: Counseling people who are rescued from the licentious and lascivious actions of the unbelieving world is serious and spiritual. The battle is no battle at all if the person who counsels is a slave to any of the corruption that the one being counseled is seeking to find victory over. Two similar bondages will merge and the deception grows greater for both to overcome.

2 Peter 2:20-22 – I like the example that the apostle uses here; “pollutions” we walk about in air pollution everyday and our immune system, liver, kidney and lungs take the brunt of this pollution. But over time; blood, asthma, liver and kidney diseases develop and the health goes south. So; on the spiritual side of Life in Christ, if we are weak because of our personal relationship to Jesus, or the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Like the revolt of the blood, lungs, the liver and the kidneys there will be a spiritual revolt that does not end well. We have a responsibility to stay pure and holy; if we do not; our leadership and ministry is doomed; meaning that as a dog returns to its own vomit and a sow having been once washed. Will as both do… return to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. 1 John 2:1-27. I believe that the apostles Peter and John are writing on the same subject. Anti Christian conduct!

A Devotional Look at the Book #508

A Thought for today by Papa “J”

The backslider is like a scoop that digs up good and evil; but a person who seeks the righteousness of the LORD is like the plow that tills the soil and produces a good harvest. Proverbs 14:14

A DAY IN THE PAST, THE PRESENT OR THE FUTURE

In an earlier devotional I wrote about being in a foreign port; at the time I could not remember the country but it was France and the city was Nice. A few of us sailors were standing in line to exchange the American dollar into French francs. There was no such thing as a Euro dollar in those days. Sailors around women are dumb! You didn’t know that did you? Standing a few persons in line ahead of us was this young blonde girl and she was very pretty. As sailors we made a couple of comments (I was not a believer at this time) but really that is not an excuse to be a poor representative of the United States of America. An older gentleman standing behind the teenaged girl turned to us and replied in very clear; American English… “I am thankful that you believe that my daughter is good to look at and that she is a well developed young woman; likewise you men should be thankful that I am a mild mannered person, who will politely ask you this once, to control your tongues!” We made a very quick apology! Now, who but a bunch of sailors would not know that it is dangerous to run your tongue in the currency exchange line? There are no nationals in these lines; they are all foreigners and most of them speak English!

2 Peter

2 Peter 2:12-17 – Moving into verse 15 is like stepping into the life of Balaam, in fact; the apostle Peter uses the character of Balaam as an example of biblical depravity. As with all of the Word of God; this is serious; I do not know of one prophesy of Balaam that sounds corrupted. So this brings to my mind some critical issues. The four prophecies of Balaam concerning Israel and the Messiah are found in Numbers 22:5 through Numbers 24:1-25.

This can mean that God uses an individual who is motivated by the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life to expound from the Living Word of God, biblical truths that the world of people like Balak fine offensive and at the same time confuse and misguide the saint. God calls such activity a reward of unrighteousness. Notice too, something that may be overlooked by many, the apostle Peter clearly states that Balaam like all false teachers had forsaken the right way and went astray and then Peter says that it took a donkey speaking like a man to restrain the “madness of the prophet”. I take this to mean that Balaam was a true; but false teaching prophet of God.

Verse 17 – These men are wells without water; when you hear them speak they do not satisfy the soul of the listener but they do confuse that soul. A storm brews in these men and carries them from one false issue to another and I believe they know that the gloom of darkness waits patently for their arrival. Ask me if I think I covered this subject well…? NO, I do not believe I did!

A Devotional Look at the Book #508

A Thought for today by Papa “J”

The road map to life in general is not written on the back of your eyelids, so STAY AWAKE! Proverbs 20:13

A DAY IN THE PAST, THE PRESENT OR THE FUTURE

In the early sixties I was on a destroyer that was visiting Italy, we were in Napoli; the time of our visit was less than 20 years after the end of WW2 and there was still evidence in certain places of the war. One of those places was an orphanage and here are some of the things that I remember as a young sailor and unbeliever. The ship was asked to participate in the renovation of the orphanage and I joined about fifty others to go and do the work. Fresh water came to the orphanage by a tanker every day, but we sailors were not allowed to drink it for at least two reasons. One: It belong to the children; and two: it was not safe for us sailors to drink. After the group of children filled their drinking containers; the remaining water was used to wash clothing and dishes. The water that remained was used up by the children to take baths in three available tubs. Another thing that I remember about the building that housed these young people was a couple of rooms in the basement. One was a conference room with table and chairs still in place covered in thick dust; the other was a locker room with the names and ranks of German officers still on the lockers. The building had been used as a sub station or headquarters for the Nazi forces in that area until the allied forces took control. This seemed to me then, as a step back in time; but in my thoughts currently, I think that we as a people of the world have not changed for the better as some would like to believe and even teach. We still have war, orphanages and headquarters focused on this axis of evil. WHY? Mankind loves darkness rather than the Light because their DEEDS are EVIL; John 1:1-13; 3:16-21 and Revelation 20:11-15

2 Peter

2 Peter 2:12-17 – We were discussing the doom of false teachers, but here in the referenced text we will move on to the depravity that characterizes these men and women. The apostle Peter under the influence of the Holy Spirit states that these people are natural minded; such as; found in Jude 1:10 being corrupted by the influence of the natural mind and having no control of God the Holy Spirit and who are condemned by their own devices.

These people work for wages of unrighteousness. These are strong words of warning for those who fulfill the conditions of these passages. Peter says that these men are like loose threads on a tightly wound ball of yarn and that their main purpose in life is to snag other threads and tangle as many as they can by carousing among those they are close to and those who are nearby. They do this in plain sight as well so this means that their deception is very convincing.

Having eyes full of adultery! We want to think this is adultery in the natural state and while it may be a part of the picture, the larger part is the adulterous practice of spiritual adultery since they use the word of God to cover their ongoing obesity for sin. Day and night they do not cease to sin in which they entice others to follow their ways. These having unstable souls likewise seek to cause the souls of others to be unstable as well. In other words; these folks are teachers; but they are teachers who train others to practice unrighteousness; these are called accursed children; I find it interesting that Peter refers to them as children! Which leads us to the next verse for tomorrow, if the LORD tarries?

A Devotional Look at the Book #506

A Thought for today by Papa “J”

At the Throne of God is absolute Wisdom, at the Right Hand of the Throne of God is applied Wisdom and in the courtyard of the Temple of God is Spiritual Understanding. Psalm 84:10

A DAY IN THE PAST, THE PRESENT OR THE FUTURE

The world we live in is cruel and abusive and we do not normally experience the full extent of this evil dimension. What I am about to tell you is real, I tell you because the Peace of God which surpasses all of our understanding in these moments is there to help. Philippians 4:6-7. On one of the submarines I was on the Chief of the Boat claimed to be a Buddhist. We both were Chief Petty Officers and on most ships we are a close group of middle managers who are devoted to the ship, the crew and each other. Once in Scotland while we were boarding a jet to come home, he had set it up for me to be stripped searched for drugs by the Scotland Airport Security. You see I was the ship’s protestant Lay Leader; I held Sunday Services and weekly Bible Studies while the ship was at sea. The Chief of the Boat did not like Jesus so this was his way to persecute Him and ridicule me. A strip search is just what it means; you are required to strip off all of your clothing and stand before a group of men while they inspect you. While they did this another opened my duffle bag and found my Bible and some notes on the top of the clothing; the Chief of the Boat was standing only a few feet from this incident and said; “anyone with a Bible is always up to no good”. With this thought in the inspector’s mind; he turned the duffle bag upside down and all the contents spilled out. Everyone laughed; I was there, but it was as if I were a spectator; I felt peace and I felt protected so I just stood and watched as it all played out. When it was over; I put on my clothes, repacked my duffle bag and boarded the plane for home. Before it was time (90 days) to board another plane and return to the ship for another submarine patrol; the Chief of the Boat fell ill and he was replaced. To God be the glory!

2 Peter

2 Peter 2:10-11 – Well there is for sure, much that I do not know about the doom of false teaching; but what I do know is that we must be cautious. As I have said many times; I love the Word of God and I am always interested in saying a thing or two about the wisdom of God. One thing I have strived to do is to be correct and to always back up what I say with scripture. One thing I learned is that the only real test of Truth is how one presents the Gospel. Sort of like this; if the gospel you hear from the pulpit extends to the lust of your eyes; or the lust of your flesh; or the pride of your life; then you should be looking for another church. 1 John 2:15-17; I also want to note that this section of 1 John is written to qualify our spiritual estate of salvation. 1 John 2:12-17 in context.

Notice if you will: The lust of the eyes is a prosperity gospel; the lust of the flesh is a legalistic gospel and the pride of life is a contemporary gospel, or new age. Satan has a gospel that will appeal to anyone who loves the world which is passing away. But he who is willing to do the will of God abides in Grace forever; there is only one gospel. It is this: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age. (Please take the time to read Titus 2:11-15 on your own) Also see Acts 20:24

If you are not being taught to deny ungodliness and to live soberly in this present world, then the gospel you are being taught is tainted with the false teachings of doomed pastors and teachers. 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 and 11:5-15.