A Devotional Look at the Book #511

A Devotional Look at the Book #511

by Jesse Abel

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.