The Devotional - A Look at the Book #573

A Devotional Look at the Book #573

A Thought for today by Papa “J”

Psalm 119:33-40 – When the soul hungers and thirsts for God we find our voice and cry out. The longing of the soul to rest in the precepts of God is much like a homesick teen who has wandered from the warmth and tender care of parents.

Good Morning

What is the root cause of so much divorce in our land? The number one cause for most divorce is not infidelity or of falling out of love. The root cause is failure to stay autonomous. The ability to govern the affairs of family life is the root that drives one or the other to commit selfish desires that bring about separation. When families require much and the stress of making both ends meet is larger then the tie that binds we will fail. Financial and Family management are the root cause of all marriage problems and sin develops when the arguments over these develop into a loss of faith between the husband and wife. This loss of faith leads to a critical absence of communication, a lapse in sexual desire and then a breakdown in other common interests. Secular marriage counseling cannot repair or patch up a broken family, or the bond of marriage. Secular counseling is only interested in the profit and loss statement in the business of counsel. This is only added conflict to an already strained budget and at the very best, secular counsel is only a temporary fix to the deeper problem of failure. In the past I have had opportunity to counsel men who struggle with their loss of family. Most were inmates in the prisons of Connecticut and in every case, budgeting and management of the family was the first sign that caused these men to react in foolish measures, even the cause of their incarceration. (Proverbs 2)

2 Corinthians 10

2 Corinthians 10:7-11 – How often we are ready to justify our relationship before God by observation of the outer appearances of those around us. The mental attitude that comes to my mind is the one presented by Jesus regarding the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). Simply; Jesus is present in all of our judging moments and there will be a justification and a reward of some sort.

Today authority to teach and lead is detailed in scripture; our pastors and teachers are given this authority by God. But you will not find in scripture the authority to judge them. Their human reaction to life is just like ours who do not have the Spiritual gift of communication and leadership. Boasting or any other human trait that pops up in their integrity is not to be judged. It is God who allows this man to stand for His Name’s sake! Psalm 23 works for spiritual leadership just as it does for all saints.

There are times when the emotions of God’s leaders are troubled and suffering; there likewise are times when our leaders are weak and we find ourselves seeking to judge them; and there are the times when everything seems to be working well with them. Should we not be praying for them rather than judging them. Yet, we tend to hold the candle to their character and judge and pray wrongly like the Pharisee. As the apostle says; what we see and what we hear about should not be judged by appearance but by the truth that God’s leaders are spiritually consistent.