Yesterday morning we had a wonderful sermon centered on Jonah Chapter 2. In Chapter 1, Jonah had run from God's command to go to Ninevah and preach to them. When woken on the ship (during his escape journey), he told the them God was his God and he feared him. Really? He was running from him and not obeying him. To get his attention, God spanked Jonah hard. He threw him into the water and let a whale swallow him. It was easier for God to get 600,000 people to repent than it was to get Jonah to go and do his part. As Pastor Owens said, anyone who is in the belly of a whale quickly becomes a praying person. :) And Jonah quickly came back to his God. (If this story seems scattered, please read Jonah. Short book with great meaning.)
Pastor Owens' point was that when you are a child of God, truly a child of God, he will spank you to get your attention. He wants you back with him. Are you in the belly of a whale right now? Have you been listening to God instead of telling Him what you want to do? We are all there at different times, myself included. Give God your attention and go fully into His path for you. He's waiting to bless you abundantly.
Lord, thank you for your discipline and love. I pray for anyone in the belly of the whale right now, that they will turn their eyes back to you and come running with their arms wide open. We know you will embrace us.
I lift up those I love to you, knowing you will cradle them. Amen.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Romans 12 : 14-16
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep,
16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate wtih the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Wow, so many lessons in these 3 verses.
14 - it's so easy to lash out at someone who hurts you, misinterprets something you say/do, or outright lies about you. But God is telling us in all those situations to bless that person. Easy, huh? Maybe when it's unintentional. Not when it's intentional or someone thinks less of you as a result. I've dealt with this over the past couple of days so I know God had me read this verse this morning. When you swallow hard and bless the ones causing you strife, the strife seems to fade away.
15 - Do you celebrate your friends victories? Do you get close enough to them that you truly know how special their rejoices are? When you do, and you rejoice with them, the blessings are incredible. And when a friend is weeping and it makes you uncomfortable, do you step out anyway and weep with them?
16 - I also believe God put this first square in front of me today. Things have been going really well and I was getting a bit of a big head. Then bam! The situation in verse 14 happened and turned my world upside down. God needed to knock me down a couple of notches and show me He gave me these gifts and He is guiding me. Just because I get some decisions right and just because I may excel at something doesn't mean it's due to me.
Lord, thank you for the lessons you continually teach me. Especially those I have a hard time learning. I will strive to keep my focus on you and not me. Please let me see others how you want me to see them and to rejoice and weep with them. Thank you for pulling me close just as a Father should. I love you, amen.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep,
16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate wtih the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Wow, so many lessons in these 3 verses.
14 - it's so easy to lash out at someone who hurts you, misinterprets something you say/do, or outright lies about you. But God is telling us in all those situations to bless that person. Easy, huh? Maybe when it's unintentional. Not when it's intentional or someone thinks less of you as a result. I've dealt with this over the past couple of days so I know God had me read this verse this morning. When you swallow hard and bless the ones causing you strife, the strife seems to fade away.
15 - Do you celebrate your friends victories? Do you get close enough to them that you truly know how special their rejoices are? When you do, and you rejoice with them, the blessings are incredible. And when a friend is weeping and it makes you uncomfortable, do you step out anyway and weep with them?
16 - I also believe God put this first square in front of me today. Things have been going really well and I was getting a bit of a big head. Then bam! The situation in verse 14 happened and turned my world upside down. God needed to knock me down a couple of notches and show me He gave me these gifts and He is guiding me. Just because I get some decisions right and just because I may excel at something doesn't mean it's due to me.
Lord, thank you for the lessons you continually teach me. Especially those I have a hard time learning. I will strive to keep my focus on you and not me. Please let me see others how you want me to see them and to rejoice and weep with them. Thank you for pulling me close just as a Father should. I love you, amen.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Devil got your tongue?
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
15 that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.
Phillipians 2:14-15
This hit me square in the face in my job. It has been very stressful lately and others have not steadily done their jobs, but regardless, my witness needed to be that of a light, not someone ranting about everything being so bad. It was very difficult. God gave me different verses to get my attention so I would watch my tongue. Search God to see what He's trying to show you.
29 Let no [a]unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification [b]according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29 (New American Standard Bible)
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