The Devotional

Papa “J” says

If you fail to be scolded or disciplined in time! You then, become an enemy of your parents and your God! You have no testimony! Proverbs 3:11-12

On my first trip to sea I was put in charge of the stowage room for paint. All ships of the Navy have a paint locker where paint is issued to the crew to keep the ship looking good. But the stowage room for paint is a different room. Paint in this room is usually in large five gallon containers and is only issued when the person in charge of the paint locker runs low on the paint being supplied to the crew. I was told by the leading boatswain to make the paint stowage room ready for sea. What he meant was for me to shore up the paint cans with wooden wedges, rope and other metal bars to keep them from falling and busting open when the ship got into rough seas. I had no clue as to what I was doing. When the ship hit rough seas, the paint stowage room changed from a normal haze gray (navy color) to a purplish red (putrid color). When the storm was over and the room could be entered, paint was running almost knee deep. I lost that job and that's my testimony!

The Gospel of John

John 1:19-28 The testimony of any individual is a statement that can be backed up by proof. If I say to someone that I witnessed an event, then I must provide testimony. So seeing encompasses more than observation and sometimes we are required to take our proof to the next level. That level for all believers in Jesus is “Faith, the faith of Jesus” and there are plenty of folks who will oppose you and say that faith proves nothing. There are only a few who believe Hebrews 11:1-2

John the baptizer gives this proof of faith in that he quotes from the book of Isaiah 40:3. Now for the people of faith, this quote in John 1:23 would be enough for us and we would move on in the blessing of reading how the men who were sent by the Pharisees questioned him and his replies were not sarcastic but pointed and truthful.

But for the doubters and unbelievers we see that God is prepared to give more evidence that truly John the baptizer came to prepare the way of the LAMB of God, or more accurately to ordain the LORD's three and half year ministry. See: Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3 and Luke 3:4-6. All four gospels give proof from four separate men that John baptized Jesus for the work of His ministry. If you are born again and have been baptized then you too are prepared for the work of ministry, just don't spill the paint.