Hello Friendly People, Our lives tell a story as we respond to God's nature and character. Let us not grow weary in well doing but finish this race with dignity, trust and hope flowing through us! Let us not waste time arguing our case with God- time is short! God will listen and sometimes even debate our grievances, but the time always comes when we must grow up and deal with our attitudes! My prayer for us all is that we submit so we don't have to endure the worms and scorching heat, or the blazing winds. The trials that can, if we aren't careful, dry up, uproot and wither the seeds God has planted in us.
Jonah 4 V1 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. V2 He prayed to the Lord, "O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish.
Do you see God this way? I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.
. V3 Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live." V4 But the Lord replied, "Have you any right to be angry? V5 Jonah went out and sat at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. V6 Then the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. V7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. V8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be for me to die than to live." V9 But God said to Jonah, " Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" "I do", he said." I am angry enough to die." V10But the Lord said, " You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. V11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?
Hello Friendly People, What a lesson I have learned! The frailty of our bodies cannot hold the sorrows and burdens we carry. We sometimes think our lamenting, tears and sackcloth will help those we carry on our bent backs, we are not called but only to trust and ask God to do what we cannot do, even in our deepest love for people. When we play God those we love don't see it as love at all. We are left with the bags of misunderstanding weighing us down and our mouth hanging open wondering how we made such a mess of loving. Loving.........He is love. Lets learn from Him how to be gentle and humble of heart in our loving.
Matthew 11 V28 "Come to Me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. V29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. V30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Can we leave what belongs in His hands, in His hands. When we choose to hold what belongs to Christ we ensue devastating consequences in these earthly vessels.
How long has it been since you read this chapter? I challenge you to memorize it.
Isaiah 53 V3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, or ( familiar with suffering). Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. V4 Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. but we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. V5 but He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. V6 We all, like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. V7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. V8 By oppression and judgement He was taken away, And who can speak of His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He was stricken. V9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. v10 Yet it was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a quilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. V11 After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities. V12 Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life into death, and was numbered with the transgressors, For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Hello Nice People, This book has captured my thoughts and taken me into the arena of my mind's unhealthy and unbiblical thought life. Our purpose is to love people and obey God in the process of loving. We so often want to inject our justice and reward system. I pray this book speaks to you as it has me.
Jonah V1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, V2 "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me" There are some historical and cultural reasons for Jonah's hesitation. Nineveh was Israel's enemy. God so often has us pray for those who have wronged us; we groan as we stand back and watch God bless them without any punishment for their sin. Isn't that the heart of God toward us! We so quickly forget how He so graciously forgave us.
Job 42 V8 "Now therefore , take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has." V10 The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and this increased all that Job had twofold.
Jonah V3 Jonah runs from the challenge. He catches the nearest ship, running from God's request to go preach in Nineveh. Can you wonder a minute at what it is like to be a Pastor or Prophet in this day, to this (Nineveh) society? I'm sure they would rather be on a long boat trip. Another thought on this verse: I have been under great conviction about the wickedness in our culture, the church culture in particular. The church is so overwhelmed by the culture that Pastors now have to defend themselves when they try to uphold biblical truth. Can you imagine that a Pastor would be considered "controlling" if he inserts himself with biblical truth into the lives of his own parishoners. These things are happening! Don't think for a minute that God is okay with that. Frankly, I am a little nervous (very nervous) that maybe God has allowed us to sin and mock Him for as long as He can tolerate. I believe with all my heart that our sin has come up before Him and He is sending out the prophets to warn us. Read on.
V4 The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. V5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. When we are God's children we become so confident that He will never leave us or forsake us that we take liberties with disobedience that we shouldn't. Our sin effects everyone around us, even in the church we attend, our families and friends. The storm that Jonah caused by his rebellion caused a crew to throw much needed supplies overboard. It caused that ship's crew to be in torment as they thought they were facing certain ruin.
Notice Jonah sleeps through their anguish. V6 So the captain of the ship approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish." V7 Each man said to his mate,"Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us." So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. The people that cause problems aren't the ones seeking God; but the people around them sure are, out of desperation! Wouldn't it be great if we could cast lots! You feel the effects of rebellion (the storm) but don't know who's causing it until they leave the church, or God puts them in a fish. V8 They question him. V9 He said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land." V10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, "How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. V11 So they said to him, "What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?"-- for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. V12 "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you." V13 However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. V14 Then they called on the Lord and said, "We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man's life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased." V15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea and the sea stopped its raging.
V16 Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. V 17 the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.
Chapter 2 This whole chapter is a cry to God, a prayer, an acknowledgement of who God is. Take some time and read it. V2 I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice. He ends with this: V9 "But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the Lord." V10 Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto dry land.
Chapter 3 V3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk. V4 Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." V5 The people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least. Read what the King does in verse 6. V10 When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And he did not do it.
Pray with me that God would give us a chance to repent. That He would sweep over our church with a revival fire that would purify us!
Hello friendly People, To be in the potters hands is a very fascinating adventure. Yes, at times very painful but when you ponder His touch in you; His careful and precise shaping of your character and gifting, it is all worth it. When our prospective becomes a determined trust in God and His word, then the journey becomes invigorating and a welcomed challenge. Grateful people, who are honored to be called by God, will allow Him to chisel away at them and remain faithful and fruitful, year after year.
Romans 9 V13 Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." V14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! V15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." V16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. V17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth." V18 Therefore God has mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden. V19 One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists His will?" V20 On the contrary, But who are you, O man, who answers back to God? "Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?" V21 Does not the potter have the right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?
2 Timothy 2 V19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal,"The Lord knows those who are His ," and, :Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness." V20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. V21 Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. V22 Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
1 Peter 5 V6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. V7 Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you. V8 be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. V9 resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. V10 And the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. V11 To Him be the power for ever and ever, Amen.
