Jonah 1:17,2:10
But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
If a fish had a an upset stomach, would it not go deep into its home, the sea, to get sick? But this fish came all the way up to the surface, to the beach, to throw up. So Jonah didn't drown, as he expected. He didn't drown when they threw him into the sea from the ship, and he didn't drown when the fish threw him up. God's plan for Jonah could not be thwarted. Everything Jonah did to try to get out of it, only made him more effective when he did it. Nineveh was filled with cold-hearted, violent men who had done atrocities to the peoples they invaded, and deserved judgement. But when Jonah came, looking stark white from the fish's digestive acids, their hearts softened and God relented. God will always relent when people repent, confess and forsake.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Afraid Of Jesus?
Mark 4:40-41
He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith [not even trust Me?]?" They were terrified, and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!" --
This was when Jesus had calmed the furious squall that nearly swamped their little boat. He seemed disappointed and dismayed that these men, who had been living with and travelling with Him still didn't understand just who He is. "Having faith" means "trusting in." I have faith to believe a chair will hold my weight, so I sit down on it and it doesn't collapse under my weight. I also trust in Jesus to be true to what He says He will do, so I have faith that He will meet all my needs. Even so, if I saw Him instantly calm a storm, would I be afraid, too?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith [not even trust Me?]?" They were terrified, and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!" --
This was when Jesus had calmed the furious squall that nearly swamped their little boat. He seemed disappointed and dismayed that these men, who had been living with and travelling with Him still didn't understand just who He is. "Having faith" means "trusting in." I have faith to believe a chair will hold my weight, so I sit down on it and it doesn't collapse under my weight. I also trust in Jesus to be true to what He says He will do, so I have faith that He will meet all my needs. Even so, if I saw Him instantly calm a storm, would I be afraid, too?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, April 11, 2016
Gifts From God
Philippians 1:29
For it has been granted to you --
We have been given to us as gifts.
on behalf of Christ --
Because of, as a result of, what Christ has accomplished as our Substitute.
not only to believe in him, --
Our belief, our faith, our trusting in Jesus is a gift of God, not of ourselves.
but also to suffer for Him. --
When we are rejected by others, persecuted by others, it's not to make us victims, but to grant us victory over the works of our enemy.
So the faith we have in Jesus to take our place in death in payment of our debt is a gift from God, as He draws us into trusting Him. And when we are persecuted and martyred, that is also a gift from God. We may see suffering as other people making us victims, but God grants us this as a means of growing us up to be mature adults in His family, and we will reap the benefits as He receives the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For it has been granted to you --
We have been given to us as gifts.
on behalf of Christ --
Because of, as a result of, what Christ has accomplished as our Substitute.
not only to believe in him, --
Our belief, our faith, our trusting in Jesus is a gift of God, not of ourselves.
but also to suffer for Him. --
When we are rejected by others, persecuted by others, it's not to make us victims, but to grant us victory over the works of our enemy.
So the faith we have in Jesus to take our place in death in payment of our debt is a gift from God, as He draws us into trusting Him. And when we are persecuted and martyred, that is also a gift from God. We may see suffering as other people making us victims, but God grants us this as a means of growing us up to be mature adults in His family, and we will reap the benefits as He receives the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, April 10, 2016
That Downward Spiral
The Book of Judges
This whole book is a series of cycles where: Israel obeys God, becomes prosperous, gets careless, falls into sin and idol worship, gets conquered by another people who mistreat them, cry out to the Lord, He sends a Judge to save them and turn them back to the Lord's ways, and they obey God again. This cycle repeats itself over and over and over in this book. There was no king there yet because God wanted to be their King. But they couldn't "see" God sitting on His throne ruling; they could see the judge, though, so they obeyed God while each judge was alive. But as soon as they were gone, each man went back to his own thinking, doing what was right in his own eyes, instead of looking to God's rules for guidance (17:6, 21:25). They could also see the idols, which so strongly enticed them. So this downward spiral finally culminated in the ultimate degradation of the sin of Sodom, which resulted in a disastrous civil war.
This cycle has played out in many lives since the days of the Judges. That "downward spiral" has afflicted people in every area, in every country, in every family. God often uses the crisis of the bottommost coil of the spiral to draw that individual to Himself, as He did me and many others. But we need to take care that we don't become complacent in our faith, for that will only draw us downward, away from where we need to be in our fellowship with our Father and in our witness of what God has done for us through Jesus.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Choose Life
Deuteronomy 30:11-20
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach . . . No, the Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. --
Not too difficult--not far away. It must be in our mouth and heart, be part of us, not something outside of us. Our own thinking processes.
See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. --
Life and prosperity, or death and destruction. White and black, there are no grays here. Be drawn to God and His ways, the ways He made this world to operate, to work. Commands, decrees and laws explain how we can cooperate with the way the world works, and get the benefits.
But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
Or rebel against God's "natural order" to be enticed away, and it will result in destruction, problems, troubles, death.
This day I call forth Heaven and Earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.
Heaven and Earth were made to order to be the best environments for us to exist in, with everything we need to all be healthy and prosperous; if only we will listen and take to heart what God is teaching us in His written Word.
Now choose life, so that you and your children may live, and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
It is our choice, each one of us. If we would seek to know who God really is, and honestly want to follow Him, then we will fall in love with Him and want to do what pleases Him. And as our Father, what pleases Him is for us to do well. What father doesn't want his children to do well in life, to succeed in their endeavors and to get along well together? So He has laid out for us in His written Word all the rules, regulations and stipulations we need to adhere to in order to cooperate with the ways this world was made to run and work. God is life, He is where all life and Truth originates. To align our thoughts with His gives us access to the root and nourishment that sustains life.
There is no life in any other. Anything else we prioritize before God and His ways only draws us away from life into a slow or sudden death. Even what we would consider to be "good" can blind us to what is really "best" for us. We really need to be careful to make sure we have a right understanding of all that God tells us; then we will be able to participate in the "best" that God has planned all along for us to have.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach . . . No, the Word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. --
Not too difficult--not far away. It must be in our mouth and heart, be part of us, not something outside of us. Our own thinking processes.
See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. --
Life and prosperity, or death and destruction. White and black, there are no grays here. Be drawn to God and His ways, the ways He made this world to operate, to work. Commands, decrees and laws explain how we can cooperate with the way the world works, and get the benefits.
But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
Or rebel against God's "natural order" to be enticed away, and it will result in destruction, problems, troubles, death.
This day I call forth Heaven and Earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.
Heaven and Earth were made to order to be the best environments for us to exist in, with everything we need to all be healthy and prosperous; if only we will listen and take to heart what God is teaching us in His written Word.
Now choose life, so that you and your children may live, and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life, and He will give you many years in the land He swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
It is our choice, each one of us. If we would seek to know who God really is, and honestly want to follow Him, then we will fall in love with Him and want to do what pleases Him. And as our Father, what pleases Him is for us to do well. What father doesn't want his children to do well in life, to succeed in their endeavors and to get along well together? So He has laid out for us in His written Word all the rules, regulations and stipulations we need to adhere to in order to cooperate with the ways this world was made to run and work. God is life, He is where all life and Truth originates. To align our thoughts with His gives us access to the root and nourishment that sustains life.
There is no life in any other. Anything else we prioritize before God and His ways only draws us away from life into a slow or sudden death. Even what we would consider to be "good" can blind us to what is really "best" for us. We really need to be careful to make sure we have a right understanding of all that God tells us; then we will be able to participate in the "best" that God has planned all along for us to have.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, April 8, 2016
Our Author And Perfector
Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith, --
Beginner and ender, starter and finisher.
Who, for the joy set before Him --
Jesus saw the result of what He was suffering, and knowing all the good it would do, all the lives that would be changed, all the people that would be rescued; and it brought Him joy, and encouraged Him to persevere and finish that work.
endured the Cross, scorning its shame --
When He was hanging on the Cross, His nakedness was publicly, shamefully displayed for all to see.
and sat down --
Because His work was finished, complete forever.
at the right hand of the Throne of God.
As God's "Right-Hand Man," ruling with Him.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith, --
Beginner and ender, starter and finisher.
Who, for the joy set before Him --
Jesus saw the result of what He was suffering, and knowing all the good it would do, all the lives that would be changed, all the people that would be rescued; and it brought Him joy, and encouraged Him to persevere and finish that work.
endured the Cross, scorning its shame --
When He was hanging on the Cross, His nakedness was publicly, shamefully displayed for all to see.
and sat down --
Because His work was finished, complete forever.
at the right hand of the Throne of God.
As God's "Right-Hand Man," ruling with Him.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, April 7, 2016
"It Is Finished!"
Hebrews 10:11-18
Day after day --
Repeatedly.
every priest stands and performs his religious duties; --
The priests stood up when they did their work in the temple.
again and again he offers the same sacrifices, --
Continuously, never-ending, over and over and over.
which can never take away sins. --
This is why they had to be repeated every day, they could only temporarily cover over the sins; they only paid the interest to service the debt.
But when this Priest --
This is Jesus.
had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, --
Jesus offered Himself as the Perfect Sacrifice, which actually paid off our whole debt, for all time.
He sat down at the right hand of God. --
The Temple priests never sat down, they stood every day, their work was never done. But Jesus finished the work, so He could now sit down, as God's right-hand Man.
...Because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. --
Jesus' payment at Calvary was the Blood of God, which has infinite power and value to not just cover, but to pay off all the debts in the world and in the whole universe, to change us into beings that are holy, clean, flawless, pure forever.
...And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. --
So now that Jesus has paid off all our debt of sin to God for all time, now we can be continuously forgiven our sins; there need be no more Temple or Cathedral sacrifices, because it is already finished.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Day after day --
Repeatedly.
every priest stands and performs his religious duties; --
The priests stood up when they did their work in the temple.
again and again he offers the same sacrifices, --
Continuously, never-ending, over and over and over.
which can never take away sins. --
This is why they had to be repeated every day, they could only temporarily cover over the sins; they only paid the interest to service the debt.
But when this Priest --
This is Jesus.
had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, --
Jesus offered Himself as the Perfect Sacrifice, which actually paid off our whole debt, for all time.
He sat down at the right hand of God. --
The Temple priests never sat down, they stood every day, their work was never done. But Jesus finished the work, so He could now sit down, as God's right-hand Man.
...Because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. --
Jesus' payment at Calvary was the Blood of God, which has infinite power and value to not just cover, but to pay off all the debts in the world and in the whole universe, to change us into beings that are holy, clean, flawless, pure forever.
...And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. --
So now that Jesus has paid off all our debt of sin to God for all time, now we can be continuously forgiven our sins; there need be no more Temple or Cathedral sacrifices, because it is already finished.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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