A storm, a great fish, some sackcloth, and a hungry worm: The story of Jonah (Part 2)

For the month of August we are looking at the book of Jonah. Today we will study Jonah 2.

from fcnewburgh.com

Read: Jonah 2

Last we left Jonah, he survived the storm but is now trapped inside a smelly fish belly. As much as he would rather have died than obey God, God had other plans.

from mdchurch.us

Chapter 2 is the prayer that Jonah prayed when he realized he couldn’t ditch God. It’s not a perfect prayer. (Once you know the whole story of Jonah, you’ll see why.) But God doesn’t mind our imperfect prayers. In fact, He asks for them.

Jonah starts by summarizing his day. “There was a pretty big storm. I’m guessing that was from You, God. I ended up drowning. That sucked pretty bad. I thought for sure You were sending me away forever. But now I realize You were actually saving me. Thank you, I guess.”

Philip Yancey in his book, Prayer, talks about how prayer is really just keeping company with God. We keep company with God by talking with Him. We share with Him all of ourselves – our hopes, our dreams, our thanks, our requests, our complaints, everything. Then in turn, we find out more of who He is and what His plans are for us and for those around us.

Jonah’s prayer reveals everything about his day and shows what he’s learning about God. The prayer concludes with the great fish vomiting Jonah onto dry land. For most people, being fish vomit might be a low. But for Jonah, it’s a second chance to learn God’s will. And not only to learn God’s will, but to learn more about the very heart of God.

Third lesson of Jonah: Keep company with God.

Fourth lesson of Jonah: He promises to hear you…and you may even learn a few things along the way.

Dear God, I seem to pray best when I am at my lowest. Help me keep company with you every day, not just when things are rough. Teach me Your ways and Your heart, oh God of my salvation. Amen.

Further readings: Matthew 11:28-30; Philippians 4:6-7; Psalm 145:18-19

 

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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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Steps to contentment: Step 4 – Center

Welcome to week 4 in our study on contentment. Contentment in the biblical sense is peace with God and satisfaction in the circumstances where God has placed you.

Read Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17; 3:1-24 and Matthew 26:36-42

There were two gardens. In the first garden, everything was perfect. God had planted the garden. The plants were lush and filled with fruit. In the center of the garden grew the tree of life. A couple lived there. They trusted God and were content and satisfied, having everything they needed.

The second garden, on the other hand, was dark and dangerous. Although familiar, it was not a happy place that night. In the center of this garden a distressed man lay praying fervently for help to the God he, too, trusted. This isn’t what I want to do. This doesn’t feel good to me. I am not happy about this. Please, please take it away, Lord. He had found himself in that garden because he had come to restore the tree of life that had been lost to the couple in the first garden.

You see, they had stepped out of the master Gardner’s will. And as a horrible consequence, their rebellion brought sin, death, and sadness into a once perfect garden. Ever since that fateful day, we have been chasing down the peace and contentment that was lost.

But God did not abandon that first couple or us. He promised a Savior. One who would become for us the new tree of life.

In the midst of this unhappy, imperfect garden, a sorrowful Jesus taught us one of the most important steps in our path toward contentment. He finished his earnest prayer by saying, Not my will, but Yours be done. Jesus stood in that dark, scary garden and centered himself on God’s will. He completely trusted God. Even though it meant taking on all the sin, all the death, and all the sadness of this world.

Contentment has never really been about our happiness, our comfortableness, or our desires being fulfilled. Contentment is simply about being in the center of God’s will.

The only time we should feel discontent, is when we are in a situation that is pulling us away from God’s will. And in those dark moments, cry out to God, like Jesus did in the garden. And then remember that Jesus is for us the new tree of life at the very center of God’s garden. Center your garden on Him.

Step 4 in the pursuit of contentment: Center your garden on God’s will.

Dear Lord, Let Your will be done always and bring me into the center of Your will. Make me content. Amen.

This week, let’s read about what it looks like to center yourself on God’s will.

Day 2 – 1 John 2:16-17; Matthew 6:10

Day 3 – Proverbs 3:5-6; James 1:5

Day 4 – John 10:7-11; Hebrews 13:20-21

Day 5 –  1 Timothy 2:4-6; Proverbs 13:12; Revelation 22:14

Next week we will conclude our study on contentment by talking about the harvest!

 

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Steps to contentment: Step 3 – Water

Welcome to week 3 in our study on contentment. Contentment in the biblical sense is peace with God and satisfaction in the circumstances where God has placed you.

If contentment is a lush garden, then being and staying content is a constant battle for turf. Gardening is not simply planting and enjoying. While those are aspects of a good garden, successful gardening requires constant nutrition.

Reading for this week: John 4:3-26; 39-42

In terms of gardening, the nutrition formula for growth is pretty basic: soil, sun, air, and water. And of those 4 basics, I really only have to take care of one – water. The sun, the soil, and the air are not necessarily in my department. So maintenance of my precious garden shouldn’t be that hard. Get a bucket or find the hose and water those plants. But like the woman at the well, it’s the continuous need to come back for water that can get monotonous and wearisome (v.15).

In the spring, my momentum is going. I am happy to finally be outdoors. I am motivated with visions of red tomatoes and full baskets of flowers. But then after awhile, I get a little bored and start skipping the only job I have – the watering.

Unfortunately, my inconsistent watering inevitably leads to fewer tomatoes. And it makes other vegetables – like my cucumbers and lettuce – taste bitter. My flowers are dried out. My herbs are limp and thirsty. And the life my garden had, slowly dies. There is nothing more devastating then coming to the end of a growing season only to realize I have wasted it.

That’s why I am very interested in installing a drip irrigation system. I have no idea how to do that, but with my handy husband and pinterest at my disposal, I think we can come up with something. Knowing my plants could continuously get exactly the right amount of water could make gardening so much easier and more productive.

Trying to maintain contentment or happiness on my own is like having to go out looking for water sources everyday. It may bring temporary contentment, but I need to keep going out for more to maintain that contentment. And when I can’t find a good source or I stop looking, I inevitably become dry and bitter and unproductive. Contentment is no longer within my reach.

That’s the amazing thing about what Jesus offers us through the Holy Spirit. It’s like a drip irrigation system for my soul. It is a truer, more consistent source of watering that I can tap into daily. And as Jesus told the woman at the well, with the water that Jesus offers, it’s like a spring welling up to eternal life, and I will never be thirsty again.

It’s time to water.

Step 3 in the pursuit of contentment: Water your garden by tapping into the only everlasting water source.

Dear Lord, I am constantly thirsty for something. But I spend a lot of valuable time looking for water from other sources. Help me to tap into Your everlasting water. Quench my thirst and bring me contentment. Amen.

This week, let’s read about those deep waters that God offers through His Spirit.

Day 2 – Psalm 1:1-3

Day 3 – Jeremiah 17:7-8

Day 4 – John 7:37-38

Day 5 – John 6:35-40

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Temptation and Our Coat of Many Colors

Reading for today: Genesis 39:1-23

Painting by Richard McBee

Joseph had lost another coat. His first coat, an expensive coat of many colors, was destroyed when his brothers betrayed him. That coat had symbolized favor and wealth. Yet, in an instant, he went from the privileged son of a great nomadic leader, to a stripped Ishmaelite slave.

But Joseph found favor again. His new Egyptian master, Potiphar, recognized Joseph’s talent and made him second in command. He was clothed as a high servant, no longer a meager slave.

Painting by Richard McBee

Potiphar’s wife, however, also noticed Joseph and tried to seduce him. Joseph resisted the temptation but lost another coat as he ran from her. That coat had also symbolized favor and wealth. And when he lost it, he found himself in prison.

Resisting temptation is not simply a matter of choosing what’s right over what’s wrong. If that were the case, resistance would be easy. Resisting temptation, however, usually involves a sacrifice.

In the case of Joseph, he knew what favor and wealth felt like. And when he had it again in Potiphar’s house, it fit like a glove. He was successful and well loved. Resisting Potiphar’s wife came at great sacrifice. It cost him the favor and wealth he had finally regained.

That’s what makes temptation so hard. We see immediate benefits lying on the other side of temptation. Benefits we feel we deserve. Coveting those benefits drives us to excuse our actions, convincing ourselves that the ends will justify the means. On the other hand, choosing to say no to a temptation involves a sacrifice that seems unfair and difficult. In extreme cases, like Joseph’s, that sacrifice may cost us everything we’ve worked so hard to achieve.

But Joseph’s story does not end there. While his decision to resist Potiphar’s wife cost him his position and years in prison, God clothed him again in a royal coat, as Pharaoh’s second-in-command (Genesis 41: 42).

When you are faced with temptation, the temptation to leave your wife or love someone other than your husband, or take the answer key for a test or cover up fraud or break a promise, remember two things. One, temptation is never just about you. Your decisions affect your relationship with others and with God. Two, there is always a way out. That way may seem unfair or difficult, but it never goes unnoticed by God. He promises to both help you and bless you.

While we may never wear the coat of royalty as Joseph did, we are promised royal clothing. Isaiah 61:10 rejoices in God’s promise to the faithful, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

Painting by Deborah Waldron Fry

Dear God, I am feeling pressure about ______________________. You know what’s right for me to do. Teach me Your ways and help me walk in them. No matter the consequences, I will trust in You. Amen.

Be encouraged this week by what these Biblical authors have to say about temptation and God’s help for us. Psalm 51 is especially important to read because there are many times where we fail and need God’s forgiveness and his help to get back on track.

Day 2 – Hebrews 13:4-6

Day 3 – Hebrews 2:14-18

Day 4 – I Corinthians 10:12-14

Day 5 – Psalm 51

*Thanks to Pastor Steve, his Bible study was the springboard for this devotional

 

 

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Faith: This is not as good as it gets.

We’re back in business! After the summer off, I am ready to study the Word with you again! But before I start posting, I wanted to showcase a bit of Toby’s thoughts. The following devotional is an excerpt taken from his sermon, preached yesterday (August 7, 2016). If you would like to hear his full sermon, it will be posted this Tuesday at http://www.crossview.net/sermons/

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Faith is difficult for so many reasons. Belief in Jesus Christ? How many of you here have ever seen this Jesus guy? And you believe he is the very Son of God come in the flesh? That he did all those miracles mentioned in the Bible? That his getting crucified somehow covers all the sins of the whole world?  That he then rose from the dead on the third day? Tell me, when was the last time you saw someone rise from the dead? And you believe this?

You see, this whole faith thing should be impossible. Yet you believe. You’re staking your life, and your life after death, on this Jesus guy you’ve never met. Your ability to believe all this has to be a miracle. Or else you’re crazy, we’re all crazy. All the millions and millions of us Christians who have believed the gospel and held the faith, in spite of all the things we haven’t seen. It’s crazy.

But just like God created and still sustains the universe, He created us in the faith, and sustains us in the faith. And all the problems that we have in this life are there to remind us that in spite of what the world might say, THIS ISN’T OUR HOME.

It’s not our home because Jesus told us we have a new home. Right before he was arrested he made a point to tell his believers, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in me, too ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if it wasn’t so, I wouldn’t have told you that I’m going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I’m gonna come back and take you to be with me so you’ll be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going. Before long, the world won’t see me anymore, but you’ll see me. An because I live, you also will live.” (John 14)

That’s the promise that all this faith stuff is based on. It’s what we all rely on. It’s what gives us hope in the middle of everything that goes wrong, every day. It’s the firm substance that we believe gives our life meaning. We believe that one day, Christ will come again and that he’ll bring us to the home he’s preparing for us. And that we are going to live like we’ve never lived before!

Dear God, Give me faith! Amen.

Readings for this week:

Day 1 – Hebrews 11:1-16

Day 2 – Hebrews 11:17-12:3

Day 3 – 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Day 4 – John 14:1-14

Day 5 – John 14:15-30

 

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Runner’s Guide

Reading for today: Hebrews 12:1-11

The longest race I’ve ever run is a 25K, that’s about 15 ½ miles. When you are running a race that long, it is never called the “Fun Run” or the “Turkey Trot”, because it is not fun and you are not trotting. On the contrary, running a race that long, even for the seasoned runner, is very difficult and requires months of training.

But for most people who have accomplished a race of that magnitude, they know that the pain and preparation were worth it. Not only do they feel the immediate “runner’s high” (the flood of endorphins into the brain, causing feelings of euphoria*), but they also enjoy a long-lasting sense of pride in their accomplishment.

The author of Hebrews describes the Christian life as a long-distance race.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a crowd of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who or the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” ~Hebrews 12:1-2

by Runner’s World

That very long-distance sentence is packed with training tips for life.

1. Be encouraged because we are not alone in this race. We are surrounded by witnesses and fellow runners.
2. Sin and distractions slows us down. Get rid of them.
3. We are to run the race marked out for us. Not any other route.
4. Jesus is the rabbit, the pacesetter, and the one we follow. He is the one we look to for guidance because he is the one who calls us to run this race. He knows the route and he will lead us the whole way.
5. Jesus knows the joy or the euphoria waiting at the end because he has already run the race perfectly.

Racing is about convincing your body to do something that will hurt. Why? Because you know that in the end, it will be amazing. Likewise, walking with faith through this life requires discipline and sometimes pain, but it is ultimately for good, preparing us for eternal life.

Dear Jesus, Help us to run the race you have set before us. Lead us. Help us not to get lost, not to get sidetracked. Lead us to the finish line, which sometimes seems so far away. Amen.

Readings for this week:

Day 2 – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Day 3 – Philippians 3:8-14; 4:13

Day 4 – Proverbs 4:11-18

Day 5 – 2 Timothy 4:6-8

 

 

*Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/health/nutrition/27best.html?_r=0 on April 10, 2016

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My Comfort Zone

Reading for today: Matthew 28:1-20

I was nine-years-old. I was looking forward to unlimited pancakes and wearing my brand-new Easter dress. But nothing can spoil an Easter Sunday pancake stack like the chicken pox.

Completely uncomfortable, I spent the morning quarantined in the church office. The only person who saw my new dress was the poor, immune soul who quickly dropped off an anticlimactic, styrofoam plate of cold pancakes.

I could faintly hear happy voices declaring, “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” Then the hymn, Christ the Lord is Risen Today, lifted up out of the old electric organ. Just a hallway down from the celebration though, little third-grade me felt only boredom, disappointment, and little red irritations.

Easter is supposed to be the great victory, the great celebration of new life through Christ’s death and resurrection. Easter is the culminating event of the church year. It’s bigger than Christmas. He is risen! …But so what?

It’s hard to feel celebratory when you have the chicken pox. It’s hard to feel festive when you’re sick. Or when your mother has cancer. Or when your spouse has hurt you, again. Or when your coworker has died. Or when you deal with chronic pain. Or when you realize your child has special needs. Or when you live in the fear of terrorism. Or when you’re hungry, persecuted, imprisoned, lonely, in need of help, anxious, lost, broken, or dwelling in deep darkness.

He is risen! So what? What does this mean for us right now?

First of all, Jesus’ death and resurrection was a part of God’s plan. God’s plan to save us from sin and every uncomfortable thing mentioned above. Likewise, Jesus coming again one day to establish the new heaven and the new earth is also a part of that redemptive plan.

But, more to the question – so what? This tough, in-between time is also part of the plan. Not because God wants us to suffer a bit longer, but because he is in the business of creating and redeeming. He is creating the new heavens and the new earth, creating clean hearts. He is creating new life within us and is redeeming creation, his creation, back to himself. No one knows when this in-between time will be over. But we’ve been promised it will end and we will have comfort in the meantime.

Comfort in the original Latin means, “with strength.” God’s comfort does not mean we will always be comfortable. Free from pain or anxiety or constraint. Instead, God’s comfort is his strength freely given to help us deal with everything uncomfortable in this world.

You see, we were not created for this broken, uncomfortable world and we desperately need God’s strength to endure it. So when we cry out “He is risen!” it is because we know the same strength that brought Jesus back to life is the very strength that gives us comfort as we wait for his return. He is risen! And he is coming again! Allelujah!

Dear God, Thank you for your comfort and your strength. I need your comfort as I struggle with _________________________. Please help me to bring comfort and strength to others in my life. Amen.

God has promised his comfort. Ask for it.

Day 2 – Isaiah 40:1-5; 27-31

Day 3 – Psalm 23

Day 4 – 2 Corinthians 1:3-10

Day 5 – 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17; John 16:32-33

*Special thanks to Pastor Pat Simmons. Your sermon this past Sunday morning wrote this devotional.

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