The Devotional

Papa “J” Says

Why is ti so hard to understand the words of someone speaking the truth, and so easy to believe the one who speaks lies? Proverbs 29:4

Me again at the keyboard (Jean) We also enjoyed meeting your granddaughters. Lovely young ladies. Well, here's one from today. Ted and I have procrastinated about going to the DMV to pay the taxes on our camper. We knew we'd have to wait in line, sit on a bench, take a number, etc. Today was a chilly one, so our trip to the DMV seemed timely. The place was mobbed. The parking lot alone might have turned us away, but we were goal-oriented. Our number was almost 300 numbers behind the next in line. We knew we would be there most of the day, and lucky for us we brought some lap work, some reading, and our gift of gab. We shared a form-completion-counter with a young couple with three sweet little daughters, much like our own family 35 years ago. "Coincidentally," their daughters were the same difference in ages as ours are (a single child, then twins less than 2 years later). So ... we chatted some more, then split up. Several hours later, they found us and we got to know them better. They had recently moved here (job relocation) from the Bronx, now lived in N. Scituate, and were becoming acclimated to RI. I "walked across the room" and wrote down our names and phone # to give them, as well as the name of our church. I told them there were lots of young families and I would keep an eye out for them. Bold? You bet. The eyes of the unsaved are like the blind man of Luke 18:35-43 and Jesus will use friends like Ted and Jean to guide the blind and heal the broken hearted. Thanks for your story folks, for your experience of yesterday as God uses all events to glorify His Son...

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 There is not a pastor or church leader who personally knows Jesus as LORD who has not received directly from the LORD the authority of this common ordinance of faith in Christ. For the pastor of any local assembly, this is the time that he can take His flock as the under shepherd to the Holy Place, the place for New Testament saints to be in common with the LORD. Oh friend there is no closer moment then the moment of the Bread and the Cup!

In this moment in time, eternity draws near, or as Jesus might say - “The Kingdom of God observes” as He awaits the day that we will all be at the Wedding Feast of the LAMB. Victory in Jesus, the Old but New Story, of the Savior who came from Glory. His suffering, His Blood, His Purpose, His atoning. And then I cry; Dear Jesus, you were broken for me, it is the only redemption STORY!

O Victory in Jesus, He searched for me with His redeeming blood, even before I knew Him. When repentance is real, you will hear shouts of praise from a heavenly host as He brings you to victory. Each experience of the LORD's table should remind us of the day and the moment when Victory in Jesus entered our soul. Communion Day in every evangelical church is a Holy Day.