The Devotional - A Look at the Book #589

The Devotional - A Look at the Book #589

by Jesse Abel

Papa J's rules for Livin #12

Devotion – An act of religious prayer for private use; Merriam-Webster Dictionary! Devotion – The joyful expression of those who Love and Trust the LORD; Psalm 34:1-22

The Devotional

In this thought… a submarine is much like a small civilization. At one place on the sub men are sleeping, in another place men are working and finally in another place men are just relaxing after work. In the sleeping area; I was about three hours into my six hours of sleep when I heard this scream that caused me to come unglued. I stuck my head out to the curtain that provides privacy from the outside world to see what I could see. Right across from my bunk was the head of another chief. With our heads staring at one another we both simultaneously said; “who screamed?” We got out of bed and searched the immediate area. No one was around and after a few minutes of confusion we went back to bed. Sometime later in the trip at sea, I was getting ready to bunk down for a few hours, since I had been up longer studying for the upcoming Sunday Service. As I was climbing into bed… there was that scream again. No, I did not step on someone’s face climbing into the top bunk, but it was the chief who slept across from me. That same chief who stuck his head out as I did and said… who screamed! His nightmares continued until he could no longer be a submariner and whether he could remember or just did not know what the cause was, he never shared his dream, or dreams. Troubled dreamers erupt in screams when their dream is not fulfilled and when this nation of dreamers turn their backs to Israel as we are, there will be much gnashing of teeth and screams that will be heard around the world… are you a sleeper or a screaming dreamer? Isaiah 29:5-8.

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 – Would you think that people today have anything new in the way of pleasure and sensual activities? Solomon explains that there is nothing new under the sun, either you are willing to believe this or not. But the truth is; he is not lying. Drugs and alcohol were consumed in his day, even like today. It is the rich and famous who first experience all that man can gather together in one life time, then when they are through with their trash, the world around them, picks through the trash.

As chapter two starts, Solomon comes right out and says: Yes, my heart wanted to try drugs so I did and found it to be nothing more than a zero on the scale of worldly enjoyment. Mirth is a drug, it is the same drug offered to Jesus Christ our LORD on the day He was paying for our sins at Calvary. Matthew 27:34 and Mark 15:23. Jesus did not allow His senses to be altered, nor did He allow His love for you to fail. Whatever vanity of trash you have fallen into… let Jesus who never fails touch your lips and humble you to come to Him with a contrite heart. Psalm 34:17-18.

I don’t know about you, but I do understand me! I like a good laugh; the fact is that I enjoy making people laugh too! But I also know that laughter is but for a moment and if you try to force the laugh beyond the given time allotted to it, even what was laugh worthy loses worthiness. So drugs and laughter, after the use of it, has a limited folly of no gain. Yet for who know Jesus there is the reward of the kingdom of God called “Joy”. Have you not noticed that those who wait on the LORD, even in the midst of pain and suffering have “Hope”, they have hope because the Joy of the LORD, never leaves them. Joy, just like Jesus… never fails; love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control are not temporal gifts. Galatians 5:22-26. Notice the vanity of the earlier verses… Galatians 5:16-21