A Devotional Look at the Book #524

A Devotional Look at the Book #524

by Jesse Abel

A Thought for today by Papa “J”

There is what I call an ill spirit in this countries tis of thee; Hosea by the Spirit of God, calls it a spirit of whoredom. If you stand in the crowd you hear the conversations of the ungodly, the enticement of the prostitute and the wanton behavior of the disobedient. Hosea 5:1-4; Romans 1:18-32.

A DAY IN THE PAST, THE PRESENT OR THE FUTURE

Some years ago (1964), in the thick of the cold war and before I was on submarines, I was stationed on the USS Forrest Sherman (DD-931). We were operating in the Mediterranean Sea just off the southern coast of Turkey. A Russian submarine was in distress and needed assistance. The submarine surfaced and we attempted to assist the submarine by contacting the boat with the “Aldus Lamp” could be spelled Aldis. All ships of all nations have at least one of these lamps which are more commonly known as the “signal lamp”. The captain of the submarine refused our help and within twenty four hours a Russian submarine tender came to help the crippled Russian sub. Along with the tender; three other ships, a cruiser and two destroyers showed up. Now we were no longer a present help in a time of need, we were an easy target. By signal light we were asked to leave the area, we refused and circled the small group of ships for several days while the tender repaired the sub. For those days we were at battle stations; our guns slowly turning in the direction of the cruiser, while the guns of those ships followed our destroyer as we circled. One small destroyer has no power against two equal destroyers and one larger cruiser; but in those days our presence and witness was enough; but here is the point! But you must read Luke 11:29-32.

Ezra; the Book

Ezra 3:8-13 – One of the statements of Dr. David Jeremiah is; “Can I get a witness?” At the first hearing of these words, I was sort of turned off. What do you mean; “Can I get a witness?” Well, over time I have learned that in order to be a witness of anything… you have to be aware of something or someone to give witness of. Here these folks are; Ezra declares that five months after returning to Jerusalem (March of the second year) that the foundation of the rebuilding of the temple is completed. Five months is not a long time!

If you have been involved in church planting or in the rebuilding of a church then you know first hand of the effects of such an event. This makes you a witness… now can I get a witness? The young people of any church should be the Spiritual backbone of growth, thus the elders must not only prepare and teach the young; but they must also be leading the way in the joy of the LORD as they see the younger people assuming the responsibilities of foundational truth.

Like the exact dimensions of a physical foundation of the temple here in these passages, so too; must the foundation of ongoing Spiritual Truth be evident in the souls of our young. This is not a “hope so faith” this is faith in action. Not just in our youth; but also in the overseeing instruction of each father and mother, along with the solid stewardship of each ministry within the church body. The pastor/teacher, the elders and deacons, the teachers and the choir; these gifts to the church are given for one purpose. That our responsive praise to God would be for His glory because His Mercy endures forever and our witness of His mercy would shine in the young and the elderly and overflow into the neighborhood.