Jonah 1:1-11 NKJV 1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me." 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 4 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, and lain down, and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, " What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish." 7 And they said one to another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, "Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you? 9 So he said to them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "Why have you done this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he told them. 11 Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?"-for the sea was growing more tempestuous. When we are walking in disobedience, we are not the only ones who suffer the consequences. Our family, friends, coworkers, and sometimes perfect strangers are affected by our daily choices. Even non-believers can often tell when a Christian is walking in disobedience. Jonah knew who he was. He knew that he was a child and servant of the one true God (vs 9). However, he fell asleep spiritually (vs 5), because he decided to go in the opposite direction than the one that God had instructed him to go. While he was sleeping, everyone around him suffered because they had to sacrifice valuable cargo-personal goals, money, possessions, emotions, etc (vs 5). They felt hopeless and afraid. Thankfully, we have a captain who will wake us up from our spiritual sleep, and His name is Jesus. His words to us today is "Arise, call on your God!" Jonah tried to run from God's instructions, but no one can out run God. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. If God is telling you to do something today, please obey. Yes, you have free will, and God will always honor that. But, remember that your loved ones are counting on you to do right by them. If you continue to run, you will cause them to ask, "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?" I hope you enjoyed reading the word of God in a new light. Have a Happy Wednesday! God Bless, Min. Tommy & Sis. Shatika Gray Additional Scriptures NKJV 1 Sam 15:22-23 22 So Samuel said: "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornes is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He aslo has rejected you from being king." Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him. Matt 21:28-32 28 "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, "Son, go, work today in my vineyard." 29 He answered and said, "I will not," but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, "I go, sir," but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that the tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him. |
| Jonah Apr. 14, 2004 |