The Devotional - A Look at the Book #586

The Devotional - A Look at the Book #586

by Jesse Abel

Papa J's rules for Livin #9

A smile can change the moment; while a moment can change a smile. One has a heart of compassionate selflessness, while the other has a heart of indifferent selfishness. What then will be the result of your day?

The Devotional

Only submarine sailors can identify with the term, “halfway night”! This event is a few hours long on the sub when Satan comes out to play. I will not be able to explain the intensity of this social gathering of exposed evil because I avoided the area where all of this activity would take place. The crew’s mess (the ship’s enlisted dining hall) is literally turned into exposed darknesses of all kinds. I do not believe the original intent of halfway night was to be a time of this sort of debauchery, but what do I know? Now here is the rub! We work along side men and women all day long and things seem to get done. While working, we talk of children, family, community and country. We also bring up religion, politics, death and taxes. In all of this conversation we gain a glimpse or two inside the heart of mankind. Most stay in control but as an evil heart comes to periscope depth in the more disturbing waters of conversation the evil heart broaches the surface and is revealed. What would it be like folks; if the world was given a halfway night once in a while to express what is really going in the heart of man? Such a day is on the horizon, the LORD calls such a day; the time of Jacob’s Trouble… a seven year period of time when all of what evil can do will be focused on one spot of land – Israel. Jeremiah 30:4-17! If you do not want to see this day and by the way, (I knew many unbelievers who did not want to participate in halfway night on the submarine) then to escape this day you must be able to answer this following question from Jesus Christ with a YES, otherwise you may just see the great and terrible Tribulation. John 11:25-26 is the question and your reply should be the same as Martha’s in verse 27. “Yes LORD, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is come into the world.”

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 1:1 – A preacher’s words are words that many people respond too. For example; Faiths… good and bad are built by the words of the preacher. The preacher can be charismatic, dogmatic, liberal or conservative; he can be any combination of these characteristics. He can be right or wrong. He may be biblically saved or biblically unsaved, he can be the son of a preacher, and he can even run for president. He can be a person who has experienced the fullness of life. Solomon qualifies, in all variations.

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 – As if with the next breath Solomon gives insight to what he is about to preach, sort of a title of his message. Most everything he is about to say falls into the category of absurdity, frustration, futility and nonsense. The book is filled with vanities. I am sure you have heard the term; “zero tolerance” Solomon turns this thought around and says. Tolerate what I am about to say… life under heaven is a zero!

Ecclesiastes 1:4-8 – The history of life is that one generation appears for a while then passes into absurdity; this is frustrating, even futile. As the new generation comes and thrives it is found doing the same nonessential things as the one before it, yet the earth accepts this and keeps on keeping on. Creation in the same way continues it circuit of existence. The wind, the rivers and the sea labor a routine task. Man is not satisfied with seeing and hearing all of this labor under heaven so he can never fully express or preach a full message. Stay tuned, this will turn out to be GOOD NEWS!