The Devotional - A Look at the Book #632

by Jesse Abel

The Devotional – A Look at the Book #632

Papa “J” May Say

Personal faith is not how one lives according to the Law of God; although admirable as this may seem! Personal faith is how one responses to the faith of Jesus Christ who is the pathfinder to God! John 14:6; Galatians 2:16; 20 and Hebrews 12:1-2

Thoughts about Life

After our meal my Hebrew friend was as interested in my faith in God as anyone I had met. We sort of had this jockeying for who’s going to be first in giving testimony about our relationship to God, so finally he said. “You should go first and I will be quiet and listen”. I gave my testimony of personal belief in the work of Lamb of God who took away my sin and identified the Lamb as Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. This of course is condensed, since I really want us to see how this Jewish person viewed his relationship with God. First, he explained that he followed the traditions of his mother’s family. How his mother taught him from birth to follow the faith of the rabbis. Several who had long passed away but their writings were preserved and passed down through the ages. He lived in a protected community where this religious zeal was routine. He said that his prayer and work was daily directed at serving God; therefore his deeds were good and not evil. I asked him if he read the Bible or other Hebrew writings then those of his rabbis and the answer was surprising. “No”! Have your read the New Testament. “No”! I have not”. I said; “how then do you know God, if you do not read the Old or New Testaments”? “We read approved sections of the Old Testament as you put it and our rabbis teach us all we need to know about God” was his reply. At this point our conversation becomes intense, so more tomorrow.

Ecclesiastes 9

Verses 11-12   – Ever feel like you are in a pickle barrel floating in the current of the Niagara River? At first, it must be a pleasant ride bobbing along peacefully, but as the falls get nearer the rapids increase and the turbulent waters begin to make you feel as if you want to barf. When that passes fear begins to grip your mind and your grip on the barrel causes your knuckles to turn white; your eyes bulge and even though it is cold, you sweat.

This is the way of life; is it not? Most all of as young people feel as if we are too swift to be caught, too strong to lost the battle; too wise to faint from hunger; too much understanding to go bankrupt and have lots of skill to overcome every obstacle. Well, there is some truth in this since some folks are very good at what they do, even at a young age. What was that young actresses’ name? Oh yes! Shirley Temple. (Thanks Louise) Yet the one factor that is always overlooked is – time and chance it is the crippling factor that is seldom thought of until the barrel goes over the falls.

So then, mankind can never anticipate this time that Solomon calls evil. Why is that? Can we not see where we are going and make the necessary changes? The answer is that if life were only physical, then we could say yes and get away with it. But life is not just physical; it is also spiritual and that part belongs to our Creator God, who can and does at times He selects calls for our soul to return to Him and our physical body has no control over His command. Speaking of the spiritual and physical; Solomon says this in Ecclesiastes 3:21. Also see 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 as we prepare for another day.