Jonah 2:1-2 - Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and He answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice….” ESV
While trying desperately to escape doing the will of God Jonah finds himself in serious trouble with the LORD. What does God do? He sends a mighty wind on the sea and the ship, and sailors are in trouble. They are in way over their head, and they are seasoned sailors. There are times in our life when we may be like Jonah. We are on the run. We know there are things in our life God wants us to do and we refuse.
Jesus said in Luke 17:32 - "Remember Lot's wife." When was the last time you remembered Lot's wife? If you were to think about her what would your thoughts be? That she disobeyed a very easy command found in Gen. 19:17 - …"Do not look behind you,…". What did the text mean when it said she looked back? The Hebrew word for "looked" used here is "nabat" (naw-bat'); it means to scan, i.e. look intently at; by implication, to regard with pleasure, favor or care.[i] Lot's wife was used for an example that you can be freed from a life of sin but look back at it with thoughts of pleasure. She wanted to return and when she looked back disobeying the angelic command she turned into a pillar of salt. The Israelites looked back to Egypt and saw their enslavement as something that wasn't so bad. When in reality it was horrible. Have we ever looked back to our life of sinfulness and thought "Oh, it wasn't really that bad." Do yourself a favor and don't look back on your past and think it wasn't that bad. Remember this; it was bad enough to put Jesus on the cross. Rom. 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Did you notice Paul said we were sinners when Christ died for us. We didn't have our life all together.
What are you going to do? My recommendation is to do what Jonah did and that is he prayed and asked God for help. We must never forget that God is more gracious than we are and even though we have disobeyed Him. He will do right by us because of His gracious nature. Think About This: Forgiveness doesn't exonerate the violator. Forgiveness liberates the victim. It's a gift you give yourself. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word [i] (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
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Jonah 1:1-3 - The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. NASU
He knows the people of Gath-hepher and I would say he became comfortable with his lifestyle there. The problem for Jonah comes when God wants him to leave his comfortable surroundings and go to Nineveh. God's Word doesn't always coincide with our Comfort Zone.
So what road, lane, avenue or freeway is enticing you to start down and get further away from God? There is always an avenue that will take you in the wrong direction. I like to watch the FBI shows that are on TV and when they go to arrest someone and he takes off they always shout "we've got a runner". Well, Jonah is a "runner". He is trying to run away from God. Jonah went down to Joppa and then down into the hull of the ship. He would soon find out that it is impossible to run from God when there is something He wants you to accomplish for Him. What is it that God wants you to accomplish?
Jonah knows this storm has come because he is running from God. He even tells them how to make the storm stop. He says to them pick me up and throw me overboard. The men don't want to do that because they are afraid that their god would hold them accountable for this man's blood. They cared more for Jonah than Jonah did for them or the people in Nineveh.
Jonah was a runner and he is soon going to find out you can't out run God. Don't be a runner as in a person who runs away from God. Be the type of runner that runs toward God. You will most likely be amazed at what exciting adventure God has in store for you. Many times you will have to leave your comfort zone. Are you prepared to leave your comfort zone for an exciting adventure with God? Think About These: God is like oxygen. You can't see Him but you need Him to survive. When God puts something on your heart that means it is on His heart also. Faith isn't a feeling. It's a choice to trust God even when the road ahead seems uncertain. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Matt. 26:56- "But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets."Then all the disciples left Him and fled." NASU
This reminds me of the old saying when you go to a friend in time of need to ask for a favor and he says, "I'd love to help you out, which way did you come in?" One of the main differences is Jesus knew His betrayal was coming and He even knew the ones going to betray Him. He asked Judas, "Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" He not only knew who would betray Him He knew how it was going to be done. He told Peter before the rooster crows you will have denied Me three times (Matt.26:34). We know from reading the gospels Peter will do exactly as Jesus informed him.
First, a Christian remembers that we are all sinners and therefore, we all make mistakes. You may also want to remember this passage of scripture: Luke 22:3-4 - And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. 4 And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. The word "satan" means adversary or one who is against what you are for and the devil is the one who is against what God is for. The devil enters into Judas and then we see Judas begin his betrayal of Jesus. The person who betrays you likewise may have had the devil enter into them and this person then becomes an adversary or one who is against you. Second, remember that God is sympathetic and He cares about what happens to you. He knows you are hurting and He will send relief, but you will have to be patient and wait for it to arrive. 1 Peter 5:6-8 - Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. The devil may have devoured your friend and what will the devil do next? He will get your friend to betray you exactly like he got Judas to betray Jesus. Third, don't betray or desert your friends. You didn't like it done to you so practice the golden rule and do to others what you want them to do to you. The best way to counter betrayal is by being a loyal friend. A friend is one who walks in when everyone else is walking out on you. Be the friend you want to have in your own life. This is how a Christian would handle being betrayed or deserted by a friend. Think About These: "A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships." - Helen Keller Some people may still have their first dollar, but the man who is really wealthy still has his first friend Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Heb. 5:1-2 - For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself. NASU
Therefore, not just any man was qualified to be a HP and not just any man is qualified to be a coach. A High Priest was appointed by God "on behalf of men in things pertaining to God." In other words the HP was to help men or priest learn about God. He was to teach them how to serve and honor God. Likewise, coaches are appointed by their leagues, schools and universities to teach boys, girls, men and women about the sport they coach as well as how to be a good person, honor the sport in which they compete and honor the God who gave them their abilities.
I believe the really great coaches have learned this lesson. They understand the trials and temptations of their athletes because they also have been athletes. They know when to be tough and demanding of their athletes and when to "deal gently" with them. My son-in-law, Cary Kolat, tells of the time he lost in the finals of his freshman year at the Division One NCAA Wrestling Championship tournament. He was given a plaque for taking second place. Once he was off the platform he threw the plaque in a trash can and sat down in the hallway. Coach Dave Shultz was walking by and picked the plaque out of the trash and gave it back to Cary with some kind words. Dave knew how "to deal gently" with Cary at the correct time. Dave would become a coach, mentor and a great friend to Cary. It is all about timing my friends. A great coach will pick and choose his moments. He knows when to be direct, or tough and when to challenge an athlete to be their best. He also knows when to "deal gently" with his athletes.
Heb 4:14-15 - Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. NASU Jesus is able to sympathize with us because He was a human like us. He went through trials, temptations and tribulations like we have. The only difference is He never sinned while going through them. Jesus is our HP. If you have sinned confess your sins to Him and ask for forgiveness. If you know someone who has walked away from their relationship with Jesus tell them to talk with Him. He is able to sympathize with us. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 6:22 - Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. NASU
I wanted my friends to experience this same forgiveness, and that is when I became the recipient of a totally new type of blessing. A blessing that I was not prepared to receive. The blessing I refer to is the one where people will hate you, ostracize you, and insult you because you tried to share the Gospel with them. There will be parties you would have always been invited to attend before, but you will no longer receive an invitation to them. There will be face to face meetings which cause you to walk away and wonder, "What just happened?" You will be insulted, you will be called names, your past will be remembered by your friends, and you will be labeled as "judgmental." Yes, I was totally confused. I thought for sure my family and friends would have been glad to find out what I had discovered. But instead, I was blessed in a way I was not prepared to receive.
I couldn't remember one insult or even care that some people hated me on the day I baptized my father and my mother. But come to think of it. I can't remember any insult, ostracizing or being hated that came to my mind as I baptized other people into Christ either. So yes, I really feel blessed that I have been able to tell others about Jesus Christ, my LORD and Savior. I have been blessed exactly the way God said I would. I have been hated, ostracized and insulted because I am a believer in Jesus Christ.
I can tell you this: the older you get, the less any of it matters and the more important it is to be friends with Jesus. Think About These: When we let God guide, He will provide. Fear not tomorrow. God is already there. Our faith deals with what God says - not what learned men say. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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