Sunday, December 13, 2009

So Jonah hops this ship and heads for Tarshish. Read Jonah 1:3-16 to see Jonah's first experience at sea... and first trouble.

Why trouble? Trouble is the consequence of going your own way and not God's way. Trouble is the consequence of disobedience. Disobedience, you know, is sin. Sin is trouble because sin is evil. Evil is the opposite of good. God is good.

Trouble is God's opposition to your disobedience. When we don't trust God and obey Him, we find trouble. We fall into sin. The Spirit Filled Life Study Bible says that "The wise person understnds that God responds to disobedience by making circumstances oppose us." You reap what you sow. (Galatians 6:7) That's what's happening to Jonah here in the midst of a storm. How about you today? Where are you with God, in the midst of a storm? "God knows what is required to cause a change in our hearts and behavior. The path by which we flee from God will become the highway to repentance because of His intervention."

Jonah will repent, eventually. God is with Jonah and He is with us in our storms in life. He is ever present, persisting or pestering us to choose Him. But first the storm comes.

Many things can cause us to be disobedient to God and face a storm. Jonah doesn't like the people of Nineveh because of their wickedness. Doesn't he realize he's joining them with his own wickedness? Even the sailors on the boat - excuse me, today it might be a ship - know that Jonah has trouble. They simply cast lots to find this out. That's because they went to their gods and didn't get an answer. But remember in verse six the captain of the ship woke up Jonah and said, "call on your God." They may worship idols and not know Jonah from another but they knew to call on their gods - little did they know of Jonah's God! He can move the mountains, calm the sea and have a plan all set in place for what comes next.

One thing I can say for Jonah is that he's an honest man. He tells the truth when the sailors ask him about his lot. He even goes so far to offer himself up for death so that they might live! Is he disobedient or a savior? It may appear that he has the right motives but he is problem! He's got trouble but he is trouble!

We bring most of our trouble on ourselves and we don't even realize it when we do! Jonah knows there's trouble and he knows he's the trouble so he has the answer. Do we have the answer? No. God has the answer. God is the answer. You will soon see that God is the answer for Jonah. God has a plan for Jonah. God has thought ahead and knows what is to come. He had a plan knowing Jonah... andwhat Jonah would do.

The men decide it's right. Jonah's right. So the men throw Jonah overboard. Remember, Jonah is wanting to escape from God and what God wants him to do - go to Nineveh. And here is God. Where do we find Jonah next? Where we find Jonah, God is there.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Now have you ever thought about Jonah being a stubborn man? Where is his stubborn self going to take him? Don't you think although he's going away from a wicked and evil city that he's walking into trouble (wickedness) himself? Sounds like it to me!

A godly person will display instant, willing obedience to God's word of instruction. Godly people are not stubborn people. Oops, that leaves me out! I can get quite stubborn when I want to be. In my stubbornness I have discovered that it does bring trouble. That's too bad. Or is it. If it's God's word/way we are to be following, then that must be the better way if stubborn disobedience brings trouble. The better way, God's way. We must promptly do what the Lord directs us to do. Trust Him. Obey Him.

So, who is Jonah? At present he is a disobedient man. A man of God. He knows the Lord. He has served the Lord faithfully. He's one of the Lord's own men, a prophet. (v. 9) People knew about Jonah and his God or did they? (v. 6/8) So what's up with Jonah now? He's walking into trouble.

Jonah's trouble... a storm comes up.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Obedience follows trust. Right? Isn't that what the song says, "Trust and Obey"? I believe it does and it goes even further than that because it says, "trust and obey for there's no other way"! Can you believe that!? I can believe that. Do I follow it every time? No. Do you believe that there's no other way than to trust and obey the Lord?

Jonah must not. Not this time any way. Read Jonah 1:1-3. The word of the LORD comes to Jonah and says, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." But what does Jonah do? He goes the opposite direction to Tarshish! He wants to get completely away from the Lord. What's the matter with this guy? Who is he any way? Doesn't he know we are to "draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to us"? (James 4:8a) Or is it that he already knows "their wickedness" in Nineveh? Wouldn't you want to get away from where there is wickedness being done by the people of any city?

God and Jonah both knew about the going ons of Nineveh... and it wasn't good. Wickedness in Hebrew is also translated "trouble," "misery," difficulty," and "harm." The Spirit Filled Life Bible note, which is what I study from, says that God is concerned about Nineveh's distresses and its evil ways. Its situation is extreme enough to get the attention of God. Ouch! It's so bad in Nineveh that God is alerted and now goes to Jonah with a word for him. Why Jonah? This word to Jonah is to, "go." Jonah, though, goes another way. Another way instead of God's way.

Tomorrow and the next few days we'll answer why Jonah and see where Jonah goes. What happens to Jonah by going another way and not God's way. Not God's way but his own way. He chooses to not obey.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

"Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittal, saying..." - Jonah 1:1

Isn't it an amazing thought to know that God speaks to us? Do you know His voice? The Bible tells us that His sheep know His voice and He knows ours! (John 10:14)
Think on this and ask yourself these questions - better yet put these questions before the Lord and have Him answer them.
To know the Lord's voice and to have Him speak to you. Do we first have to talk to Him? Does He know our voice from our neighbor's? Does He speak to you? Do you know His voice? Have you heard thevoice of the Lord? What sort of things has He said to you? Has the word of the Lord come to you?
When you read all of the Book of Jonah you find that when God spoke to Jonah he didn't go and do what God said every time even though Jonah would listen to God. God and Jonah would talk andit seems they spoke with each other often. Sometimes Jonah would even argue with God. And God kept speaking to Jonah. Why? Why did God continually shall we say "pester" Jonah? What did the Lord want from Jonah?
Obedience.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Let's look at Jonah today. In Luke 11:29-32 I was reading about Jonah. I know, I know, there's a whole book of Jonah, but this is where I was reading and I was in Luke first which took me to Jonah. God uses Jonah's story in the Bible to say a lot to us about the heart of God and the mission He has for His people. God's closing words in the Book of Jonah to Jonah are very much God's heart in John 3:16. What is that? That is God wants all people to be saved and none to be lost and left behind. In Luke we read the words of Jesus saying to the multitudes that have shown up to hear Him:

This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah, the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.

Skip down to verse 32 now:

The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

Does this generation repent? Will our generation repent? Will you repent?

The Word of the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God never changes. (Hebrews 13:8 and Malachi 3:6)

John the Baptist cries out to this generation and to us today, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)

Sunday, December 6, 2009

In Genesis 24 Abraham now well advanced in years sends his trusted servant to the land of his brother, Nahor, to find a bride for his son, Isaac. When his servant arrives in the city the first thing he does is seek the Lord's help (Matthew 6:33) to find Isaac's bride. Reading Genesis 24:10-27 you will see that before he has finished speaking to the Lord, Rebekah shows up and does all that the servant had asked of the Lord. The servant's prayer was answered before he finished speaking! In Psalm 32:8 of the Bible it says, "I (the Lord) will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eyes." But we first have to seek the Lord each and every time we need direction or instruction. Isaiah 65:24 promises us this same thing! It says, "It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." But we first have to seek the Lord. Yesterday I closed my journaling Just 4 You Today with Proverbs 3:5 and 6 - look back at that or better yet look it up in your Bible and then look at Psalm 37:5. What conditions must we meet if we are to receive God's guidance? In two words, trust, commit. We are to seek Him - lets commit to seeking the Lord - and we are to trust Him. Abraham trusted God and he could trust his servant and the servant learned to trust God.

Now look back at the story of Abraham's servant and see how the servant reacted when God answered his prayer (v.26). He is so thankful that he praises the Lord! Yes! He bows down with his head and worships the LORD and says, "Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham...". If God did it in Genesis 24 for Abraham's servant, he will do it for you. He is no respector of persons. God will answer your prayer even before you are through speaking! He does every time when you are obedient to do what He asks of you as He guides you - it's when we are disobedient that we are found to be lost and often struggling. Think back and pray to God your Father and ask Him to show you where you are today and what you need to be doing for Him or maybe repent for doing. "...he will not forsake His mercy and His truth toward you." He will "do exceedinly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory..."! (Ephesians 3:20)

Before I close, notice one more thing in this story God gives us to encourage us. The servant was able to stay and lodge in the home of Abrahams' relatives. Did the servant include this in his prayer? No. This was given to him as part of the "more abundant life" God promises to us that choose Him! (John 10:10b - life more abundant: superabundance, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, more than sufficient!) The servant chose God. Choose life today - trust in the Lord!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Has your world ever been turned upside down? For whatever reason that it's become upside down, it's mind boggling and I suggest you don't try and figure it out. The problem is we ourselves want to figure it out! Again, don't. It's always better to place it in the hands of the Lord and leave it with him. Can you trust like that? That's the key. Trust.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5 & 6