A storm, a great fish, some sackcloth, and a hungry worm: The story of Jonah (Part 1)

Hello again! I was on vacation for two weeks and have missed our Monday mornings together. It’s good to be back.

For the month of August we will study Jonah. The book of Jonah contains four chapters, so we will study a chapter a week. This week we will start with Jonah 1.

from fcnewburgh.com

Read: Jonah 1

Even when you try to ditch God, His purpose is still accomplished. That should make you feel either relieved or scared to death.

Jonah is the only prophet to try and ditch God. He ends up accomplishing God’s task for him (sort of). But he really only accomplishes it by the pure grace of God Himself. He’s a perfect hero for the likes of us.

I love this story because first of all, God doesn’t allow himself to be ditched. The storm and the great fish make that very clear. And second of all, God turns Jonah’s humiliating situation into a witness for God’s glory.

The mariners that were taking Jonah across the sea were not believers. When the storm arose and they saw the ship was about to break into pieces, they each cried out to their own gods. That only made the storm worse. Finally, they realized Jonah was to blame. But even then, they didn’t want to hurt him.

But Jonah convinced them to begrudgingly throw him into the sea. The moment Jonah hit the water, the raging storm ceased. And those terrified mariners feared the Lord, offered sacrifices to Him, and committed themselves to God.

First lesson of Jonah: You cannot hide from God.

Second lesson of Jonah: God accomplishes His purposes with or without you…and sometimes He drags you along kicking and screaming.

Dear God, I know You can accomplish Your will without me, but I want to be a willing part of Your plans, both for me and for those around me. Help me to resist the urge to ditch You when I am afraid. Give me the strength to follow You even when the task is hard. Amen.

Further readings: Psalm 65:5-8; Luke 19:37-40; Isaiah 46:8-11; Isaiah 55:11

 

 

 

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To stone or not to stone

*The following devotional was inspired by bestselling speaker and writer, Liz Curtis Higgs, who I had the great fortune of hearing speak this past weekend at the Northwestern Christian Writers Conference.

Reading for today: John 8:1-11

by Larry Eubanks

The law only required two or three witnesses to charge an offender. They wanted the whole town to see.

In a case like this, both the transgressing man and woman should be brought forward. They only brought the woman.

“Teacher,” the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. So what do you say?”

If Jesus had answered, “Stone her,” then all his teachings on mercy and grace go out the door.

If Jesus had answered, “Don’t stone her,” he discredits the Law of Moses and himself.

So what does Jesus do?

As the crowd watches silently and the disgraced woman waits fearfully, Jesus stoops down to write in the dirt. What did he write?

Some people say that a judge would write down his sentence before pronouncing it. Or maybe he was simply diverting the eyes of the people, saving the humiliated woman from their condemning stares. Maybe he was giving everyone time to think. Whatever he was writing, it took awhile because those around him had to keep asking for a verdict.

Instead of a verdict, Jesus called the question. “Let him who is without sin, be the first to throw a stone.” Silence. Nothing but the sound of unused stones dropping to the ground. Then, one by one and without a word, they walked away, convicted.

The only one who was without sin, the only one who had the right to condemn the woman, Jesus stood quietly before her. And he without a stone in his hand.

Dear God, How is it that You have not condemned me? In my shame and in my disgrace, You offer me forgiveness, hope, and salvation. Give me the power to accept Your grace and to go and sin no more. Amen.

Day 2 – John 3:16-17

Day 3 – Romans 8:1-6

Day 4 – Romans 3:22-24

Day 5 – 1 John 2:15-17

 

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Near to the brokenhearted

Reading for today: Psalm 51

“God’s true nature is to love people who are troubled, have mercy on those who are brokenhearted, forgive those who have fallen, and refresh those who are exhausted” (Martin Luther).

 

I used to facilitate an outreach program aimed at caring for international mothers and their children. Amazing volunteers worked alongside me to care for the mental health, physical, and spiritual needs of these under-served women and children.

I’ll never forget, one of the women, Alice, articulated our mission in this way: These women don’t need to be told that they are sinners, these women need to be told that they are loved.

Alice said this because as Christians we have a tendency to go to the broken, the lost, the hurting, and the lonely of this world and hand them the law. We do it to ourselves as well.

But Christ’s mission was to go to those who already felt the pain and weight of the law and offer them His mercy, His love, His forgiveness, His hope, and His righteousness.

God does not despise the brokenhearted. In fact, He takes our brokenness and fills it completely with His grace and forgiveness. He upholds us with His Spirit. And He wraps us up in His arms, forever holding onto us with His love.

“None of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned” (Psalm 34:22).

Dear God, Thank You for Your unbelievable love. Please forgive me for thinking that I need to be righteous in order for You to be a Savior. Deliver me from my loneliness, from my despair, from my broken heart, from my afflictions, and from my sins. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Amen.

Music is a powerful form of worship. Click on the following link to worship our Savior through the music of Elevation Worship – O Come to the Altar.

Day 2 – Psalm 34

Day 3 – 1 Corinthians 1:27-31; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Day 4 – Luke 18:9-14

Day 5 – Philippians 4:4-7

 

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The truth about sin

 

Reading for today: 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Christians have a tendency to talk about how bad sin is and how Jesus has saved us from our sin. But what is sin? And why did we need saving from it?

Fill in the blank: Sin is _______________________.

I asked my kids to define sin for me. They had a variety of answers. Sin is: “Bad stuff.” “Not loving.” “Doing something wrong.” “Something that is not right in the sight of God.” And, “Doing something God has rejected.”

Put together, their definitions could be summarized as something like this: “Sin is breaking God’s rules. And that’s bad.”

While that’s true, sin is more than simply breaking rules. There are plenty of people in this world who live very moralistic, upright lives, yet are stilled defined as sinful and spiritually lost.

That’s because sin is more than simply doing bad things, sin is putting yourself in the place of God. It’s making yourself King, making yourself Savior, and making yourself Judge.

The bad news about this definition of sin is that no one is exempt. The good news about this definition is that likewise, none of us are exempt from God’s transforming love and His call to a new life.

Dear God, I have no idea how to be perfect, how to stop sinning, or how to save myself. But I do know that I need you. Forgive me, renew me, and lead me. Amen.

Sin is a complicated subject. Let’s dig in a little deeper this week.

Day 2 – Genesis 3 (How sin entered the world)

Day 3 – Isaiah 14:12-15 (The truth about sin)

Day 4 – Romans 5:12-17, 6:23 (God’s solution to sin)

Day 5 – I John 1:9, 2:2; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Ephesians 1:7-10 (How does God help us with sin now?)

*Recommended reading – The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller

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Something for Nothing: Lent Series – Week 3

For these weeks leading up to Easter, we are studying how God works miracles out of nothing.

Riddle for today:

The poor have it. The rich need it. It’s bigger than God, and if you eat it, you’ll die. What is it? (Scroll down for the answer.)

Reading for today: 2 Kings 4:1-7

“And she said, ‘Your servant has nothing.’” ~2 Kings 4:2

Despair is that unanticipated moment where hope (that warm fire you had become accustomed to and may have forgotten was even there) has gone out (either suddenly or slowly over time), and despair (the lack of that precious warmth and light, and something that you never want to become accustomed to) threatens to be the only thing you feel.

The interesting thing about despair, though, is that it has the potential to be not an end, but a beginning. It has the potential, if you let it, to be the beginning of your search to find God and to cry out for his merciful, necessary grace. What else can we do, when we find ourselves with nothing, but to seek help from the only one who can give it.

The widow in our reading for today had no husband, and her children were about to be taken as slaves to pay all her debts. She had nothing left but a small jar of oil and a desperate voice.

Elisha, God’s prophet, told her to bring her “nothing” to God, and to go get lots more nothing (empty jars) from the neighbors. Then, out of her despair, out of her nothingness, God brought forth enough oil to fill every jar she could find. Enough oil to buy her sons’ freedom. Enough oil for a family of three to live on.

Praise God that when he chooses to rework hope into your life, he demands absolutely nothing but your willing heart to do it.

Dear God, make my hope strong. Send me to you if I despair. And give me a willing heart. Amen.

Let’s see what God has to say.

Day 2 – James 4:1-10

Day 3 – John 15:4-5

Day 4 – Philippians 4:4-7, 10-13

Day 5 – Psalm 55:16-17, 22

*Answer: Nothing

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a heart after You: week 4

Reading for this week: Psalm 32

But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. ~ 2 Samuel 12:27

This week you will read about the lowest point in David’s life. As you read this story, though, you won’t feel sympathy toward him. Instead, your heart will probably go out to the man he murdered and to the child who died as a consequence. Then, you will start to question whether or not God had it right when he called David, “a man after my own heart”.

In the shadow of David’s shame, in the horror of what he had done, David even has the audacity to turn to God and ask for mercy.

This week as you read the story of David and Bathsheba and Psalm 51, pay attention, not to the grievous sins of a king, but to his process of restoration. As you read, look for these three responses: confession, prayer, and worship. Then answer the question: How is David’s heart like God’s, even through this tragedy?

*Hint: After this week, there should be no doubt in your mind that you too can have a heart like God’s own heart.

Dear God, My sin is always before me. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Amen.

This week let’s read about the whole story of David and Bathsheba.

Day 2 – 2 Samuel 11

Day 3 – 2 Samuel 12:1-14

Day 4 – 2 Samuel 12:15-24

Day 5 – Psalm 51

 

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Reckless Generosity: Part 1

Reading for this week: Luke 10:25-37

“Which proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “Go, and do likewise.” ~ Luke 10:36-37

There is generosity – that of giving above what is expected. And then there is reckless generosity – that of giving in such a way which seems unreasonable, irrational, or even dangerous.

The story of the Good Samaritan is an example of reckless generosity. The Samaritan is generous because he helps a man in need, who may never be able to repay him. But he is recklessly generous because that man is his enemy.

The Samaritan passerby had no moral, legal, or cultural obligations towards this dying Jew in the road. Anything he offered this man would immediately fall under the category of generous. Yet because he offered everything – compassion, time, gentle care, medicinal bandages, food, water, transportation, continued medical care, shelter, and financial support – his generosity became absolutely reckless.

Jesus tells this story to address a lawyer’s question: Who is my neighbor? Yet Jesus’ answer reveals a deeper understanding of his own ministry of compassion. A ministry he has passed on to us.

Reckless generosity is not a requirement of our faith, but an outpouring of it. When we understand what we owe God – total righteousness. And then understand that it is impossible to pay Him that. It is in that moment that we recognize his reckless generosity towards us. Only by his generous mercy are we saved. Only by his outpouring are we even able to come before him.

It is in grateful response that we turn to our neighbors and joyfully offer that same kind of reckless love.

Dear God, I thank you for your saving generosity towards me. Remind me daily of your mercy. And in that mercy, make me compassionate and generous to those around me. Amen.

Throughout this week, use the following passages to meditate on God’s reckless compassion on us.

Day 2: 1 John 4:7-12, 19

Day 3: Luke 15:1-7

Day 4: Romans 5:1-11

Day 5: Romans 8:31-39

Next week: In Reckless Generosity: Part 2, we’ll discuss what it looks like to love our neighbor. I’ve got a great story of reckless generosity from a woman I just met this weekend.

*Additional sources: While writing this devotional, I listened to a Timothy Keller sermon based on the Good Samaritan passage entitled Blueprint for Revival: Social Concern. If you have 40 minutes, it’s thought-provoking.

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