The Devotional – A Look at the Book #617

What Papa “J” has to say! #38

To extract God from Justice and Righteousness is like trying to remove the Milky Way Galaxy from the Earth. Sound wisdom is stored up for those who believe in the Creator; Jesus. He guards the path of Justice, just as He guards the orbits the Sun and Moon. Proverbs 2:5-10 and Psalm 19:1-14

 The Devotional

Sometimes I believe that it is not good to think and I wonder if there is ever a time when a man or woman gets tired of thinking. Illnesses come because of sin in the world, our personal sin, the sin of our family; friends and neighbors all affect our health. This is what the Holy Bible teaches; that sin is the only cause of death. Genesis 3:1-24. Sometimes I think about the two or three people that I have known who suffered from Alzheimer’s and since sin is the cause of death, I readily put the two together. Now I am not saying that a person who suffers this way is in this condition because of their personal sin, so please do not misunderstand, it is difficult enough to explain my thoughts; so give me a minute here. The New Year brings people to the sharp awareness of the year before, we sort of run through the past year looking at our failures mostly and then we promise our self and those around us who will listen and who have a list of their own; that the New Year will be better than the previous one. As time marches on; the matter of turning over a new leaf each year begins to reveal to each of us; “It ain’t happening!” this year either. Jump ahead with me now to Ecclesiastes 12:1. If you are an elder in the land, then you know what I am saying. I like being alive; but I am tired of living. Tired of seeing sin and using my eyes to sin, tired of listening to sin and using my ears to sin. Tired of walking into sin and walking in the way of sin; tired of standing among sinners, yet standing in sin. Tired of sitting with sinners; yet sometimes sitting in agreement with them; so I say to myself, maybe those who suffer from Alzheimer’s do so because they have become incurably tired of thinking! Psalm 1:1-6.

In your New Year, do not make a resolution; but think about being revolutionary; revolt against the worldly standards of righting the wrong every year. Return to the Author of Faith; who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the humiliation of the cross, who suffered a sinless life around sinners such as you and me. I do not know about you; but it seems to me that a physical suffering, like being beaten beyond recognition and hung on a wooden cross to die would be easier to take, then to be sinless as Jesus was and living among sinners. I do not like living among sinners and I am one. But take His death one step further… what is harder? To die sinless for sinners like you and me is just as hard because He who knew no SIN and became SIN for us. The guiltless for the guilty, the shameless for the shameful; this is He who fulfilled His love for you and me in that while we were yet sinners; He died for us. Yes He died for us but that is not the end of the story. HE ROSE again; death could not hold Him, because HIS FATHER is well pleased with HIM. Are you well pleased with Jesus? Romans 5:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 12:1-2 and all of 1 John.

HAPPY NEW YEAR IN CHRIST

What Papa “J” has to say! #37

Recipes properly followed make a nice meal, the results will always turn out right; those who dine will give praise. Such is the recipe found in Proverbs 2:1-5, eight ingredients that produce a mature understanding of the Fear of the LORD; those who observe will give praise.

 The Devotional

As Christmas approached this year, I was asked by my wife to take our grand daughter to the mall to shop for a gift for her mom. So with my grand daughter of thirteen we entered the store where you could buy small items of jewelry, like necklaces and bracelets. We spent some time looking at various necklaces and all the while the sales person was talking about a small jewelry box that was free except that there would be a charge of three dollars a word for engraving. I thought the box would be nice for her mom too, so I encouraged the grand daughter to get it. “What shall I have engraved on the box,” she said? My reply; “Things to remember me by”! The grand daughter thought about the statement and then without batting an eye and even in front of the sales lady, she said; “Gramps! I’m not planning on dying soon”! I don’t know I thought to myself… this must be an age related thing. It ended up that she got the box, had it engraved with a heart with words of faith, hope and love and gave it to herself as a Christmas gift. Hey, I could have been watching the Patriots! Thanks Grammy; without your encouragement I would have missed a very precious moment.

ECCLESIASTES 7

Ecclesiastes 7:8 – You no doubt have heard the words, or maybe like me you have said them. “Timing is everything” the end of all things is always better than the beginning. Uncertainty as things develop will cause many people to react before the event is fully developed. So too wait for the right time is better; often the right time is when a matter is fully known. The emotions have died down and clear decisions can be made.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 – I enjoy this verse of scripture, it really fits the day does it not? People all around us are so quick to get angry. Solomon says that we control this by quickening our spirit to engage or control the moment; he also says that it is not the devil that encourages anger, but anger (an emotion) is at rest in the bosom of all of us and we are the one who disturbs or wakes it up. Those who vent anger are simply nothing more than fools.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 – There is nothing new under the sun so it is also foolish to say; “why were the former days better than these?” I know I have been guilty of this statement; “well fifty years ago, things were different” Solomon says this is not a wise question or statement; based on his discernment of life under the sun we have to agree… there is nothing new under the sun.

What Papa “J” has to say! #36

How much is that “doggy” in the window? Enticement by itself is never innocent. The steps that lead to evil, also lead to the grave. Also, stolen possessions lose the identification of being precious in the hands of the thief since it is now spoiled by plunder. Proverbs 1-19

 The Devotional

Redefining America; it seems I am hearing a lot these days about it, so the question to ask ourselves is; can this be true? My answer is that America is already redefined and here is my reasoning. In the Holy Bible we read of nations in the past that prosper for a season and we even learn about the great dynasties of Babylon, Persia, Greek and Roman Empires. America is not a dynasty, but merely a prosperous nation within the Roman dynasty that economically controls the world. This system is well organized and will become even more powerful as the world moves forward in time and the other three dynasties become involved in these final days. Like it or not; we are a part of the Prophecies of the Holy Bible. Some say that there is no reference in Holy Bible of America and her future, my thoughts are that we do not need to be referenced since just being a nation on this planet is enough to qualify us to be a part of God’s Plan for mankind in these last days of the fourth and final convoluted dynasty controlling mankind on earth. Now I do not pretend to know all the answers, nor do I even want to have the answer to the redefinition of this land of the free; in fact, I would rather be wrong about all of this. Our cloak of freedom and liberty is rotting off our shoulders and there is nothing to protect us as we learn to walk again under the new definition of the American Way. I hope you are looking for that new city whose builder and maker is God who seek to live by faith and have a heavenly hope. Hebrews 11:13-16

ECCLESIASTES 7

Ecclesiastes 7:5-7 – The sound of thorns burning can be intense and if you have ever had the opportunity to start a fire the use of dried bramble, leaves and pine cones will make a fast hot fire that will also be filled with popping and crackling sounds. The fire will not last long so it is necessary to add thicker wood to the flame until the larger pieces can take over and warm things up.

The rebuke of a wise person is the larger log on the fire; you know, the fire that warms you up is not the blue hot or fast burning white hot flames but the orange flame that endures to the end. We have no doubt met the people who like to sound off and burn out quickly, even the oppression of their smoke clears quickly away even though the attempt is to destroy all logical reasoning.

So as Solomon says; listening to the rebuke of the wise will always be better than hearing the light hearted sounds of a fool who counsels without endurance. One thought added by Solomon is that the bribe to listen to unwise counsel, even for a second destroys the heart where the soul is. A bribe does not need to be of monetary value, it needs only to reach one’s soul and destruction is complete.

What Papa “J” has to say! #35

It does not take much to see the downward spiral of our nation. Just look at the ornaments hanging from our ear, our tongue, our lip, our nose and some even around our neck. These are not ornaments of progress, but ornaments of decadence. Proverbs 1:8-9 and Romans 1:30.

 The Devotional

We hope that your Christmas this year was filled with the joy of the LORD! We also pray that the New Year coming will open doors of opportunity that will direct your steps to the Mercy Seat of the LORD. Speaking of mercy, we all deserve judgment; simply put the Holy Bible states clearly that we all fall short of the glory (Mercy if you will) of God because all of us have sinned. Now there is a whole lot of information in the Holy Bible to explain this more clearly but here are a few verses of scripture to get you started on your own. God desires mercy over sacrifice. Matthew 9:12-13. There are none righteous, no not one. Romans 3:9-18. There is a judgment coming Revelation 20:11-15. Now here is the good news. God loves you, John 3:15-18. Faith in Jesus opens the door of eternal life and God’s Mercy; John 11:25-26 simply answer the question in verse 26; “do you believe this?” Saying yes to God opens the door to His Mercy Seat. 2 Corinthians 5:8-11. This is the judgment that is covered in the work of Jesus Christ at Calvary in that God sacrificed His Son in your place. He became sin for you and me in order that we would receive mercy rather than judgment.

ECCLESIASTES 7

Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 – I have been in the house of mourning and so have you. In the moment it is a hard place to be, every nerve in your body feels as if it will burst and every tear seeks release at once. The mind desires to shut down rather than moving on to the next thought. It also seems that the presence of time will not stand still for even a second as it speeds away from that moment. Trying as we do to put the brakes on so as to say wait, we need to go back!

How then can Solomon say that death is better than birth, well for one he is not talking about those left behind, but about those who have gone; if he or she who died were still with you and me then they along with us would be mourning over another whose days of mourning have ended. At the birth of someone we rejoice, but as time progresses the one birthed takes his or her place in life to mourn over loss of another. Life and death are a natural occurrence under the sun and the living are those who take death to heart.

Wisdom is also found in mourning as mourning provides skill to comfort the living in death under the sun; mourning heals the heart of the loss; and those trained in mourning are needed for those untrained. Sadness is not depression, but sadness left unattended will bring depression and so it can happen that the heart refuses to be healed and one may be found seeking comfort from drugs (mirth) and other distracting substances. The world is full of distracted people.

The Devotional – A Look at the Book #613

What Papa “J” has to say! #34

Have you ever searched for something only to find it was in your hand all the time? Come on now! Be honest we all have done this at one time or another. Such is the case with the Wisdom and Knowledge of God; one only needs to understand the fear of the LORD. Proverbs 1:7

 The Devotional

With technology today we are forced to take precautions that were not needed fifty years ago even though the good and evil of that day was no different than today. I suppose if you could weigh good and evil, one could say that fifty years ago the product of good and evil was lighter then. Therefore I see technology as an advancement tool to encourage the return of the LORD. The depth of our technology reaches deep into the third world countries; cell phones, laptops, I pods, electronic gadgets of all kinds. If a person were to dress themselves in these gadgets they would resemble a knight in shining armor. If good and evil traveled the streets in the 1950’s successfully (and it did); what might it be doing today? It is excelling with madness and fury. So you might say that I am against all of these things and you are somewhat… right! But again, here is the rub! “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so… heaven’s gate is opened wide… and from His emerald throne, He watches… Yes, Jesus loves me. He loves you too and much of our technology of good and evil is blinding the children of the future. Even so; Come LORD Jesus. Revelation 22:20-21

ECCLESIASTES 7

Ecclesiastes 7:1 – How we see our self is a good indicator of our outward character. I am not talking about that mirror in the bath or bed room. I am talking about the real you, which is not shared with anyone. The Word of the Living God identifies this mirror as your heart. Simply put, your heart is the emotional control room of your inner being. I know a man who I spoke with yesterday who looked to be in control and he desires for people to believe that he is of good character; however his emotional ointment is stronger than his aftershave.

James 1:21-27 explains this inner mirror by comparing our face in the reflection of a natural mirror. Like a person who seeks to cover their tracks is the person who immediately forgets that his or her character leaves a scent that can be followed right to the grave. These men and women hear the words of good character, but they are not the doers, thus their religion is useless. The man knowing that I am born again immediately talked of the good religious efforts of his life, but failed to admit that he is a deliberate sinner like all the rest of us. Luke 18:9-14.

So again the wisdom of Solomon rings true; better is the day of one’s death than the day of one’s birth. This is a hard edict or decree to digest since most of us desire birth and life over death. However, the life we live is normally not the life that we want people to see. Jesus puts it this way… John 3:19-21.