Ninevah was the capital of the powerful Assyrian Empire. They were feared and hated by the Israelites, so when God commissioned Jonah to go and preach repentance to them…he ran in the opposite direction in disobedience and a resentful attitude. Why? Because he knew God, and his greatest fear would be that God would bestow forgiveness and mercy on his most hated enemies. We have to always remember that like Jonah, we can run from the place where God calls us, but we’ll never run from His Presence…for when He calls us to something, He will pursue us forever.
Author: kezha1
A Christian mother, grandmother, and retired nurse living in Illinois. Called into a ministry of encouraging others to find their ultimate plan and purpose in life through Christ.
Colossians 3:24 ” It is the Lord Christ that you are serving.”
We have been taught that serving others is to be like serving the Lord with good will. But if the other person is exhibiting anything but godly character, it can be difficult to react in benevolent kindness when polite requests are outnumbered by abrupt demands. But we have also been taught not to repay evil for evil…so what are we to do? The first thing is to hold your tongue, and as long as the person is in a safe situation, walk away…regain your composure and then and only then, go back. Why? Because in I Peter 3:10, Peter is quoting Psalm 34:12-16 where it urges us to bless others in order to obtain a blessing…and unkind remarks spoken out of frustration are not blessing to anyone…. you or the other person.
“There are thousands of men who have all their hearts can wish for and yet are miserable.” Charles Spurgeon
Here’s an eye opener for you…according to current surveys of men (ages 18-30) who claim to be Christians, 77% admit to viewing pornography at least monthly…36% admit to watching porn at least monthly…and 32% confess that they have a porn addiction. (With another 12% thinking they may have one.) No wonder this quote of the Puritan Preacher, Charles Spurgeon, rings so true. Scrolling through porn sites temporarily fulfills the corrupt desires of a man’s sinful nature…but it’s only a fantasy and an illusion…so it leaves him wanting more, and more miserable than when he first started. That’s why James 1:14 warns those of being drug away by their own evil & perverted longings… which will never be satisfied.
I Corinthians 12:12 ” The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.”
The Church is called “The Body of Christ”…and so, if you think about it, as fellow Christians behave, so does the Church we are part of. Thus, when Charles Spurgeon wrote this about the Church, it could also be directed towards us. “The more the Church is distinct from the world in her acts and in her words, the more true is her testimony for Christ and the more potent is her witness against sin.” If your co-workers and casual friends have no idea that you’re a Christian…if your actions on Saturday night are the total opposite of your behavior on Sunday morning, how do you expect your Church to make any difference in the community and the world outside the four walls? I Peter 2:9 calls us to be a peculiar people – distinct and standing up for our faith…not blending into the worldview. For when we, the Body of Christ, accepts the call, the Church can’t help but change.
He is risen…He is risen indeed.
That morning when the women came to the tomb, they found the stone rolled away. Now Jesus didn’t need the stone to be moved for the Resurrection to occur…but the gaping hole was a sign that the thing that had kept us from God was gone. For that stone represented the curse of sin & death that had been removed. The Resurrection had removed the barrier, and Jesus had made a way where there had been no way. So today, examine your own heart…is it an empty tomb where Jesus might have once been? If so, then rejoice, for today is the very best day to renew your commitment to Him and start afresh.
Holy Saturday…a day of silent waiting.
Within the Passion Week, this day was one of hushed watchfulness. But rolled up in this hesitant anticipation was also the confusion of seeing their Lord murdered…of watching His dead body pulled from the Cross and buried…and the keen mourning for what they once had. So, the earth sat in silence. But even though the tomb was sealed…the quiet of death would not last. Even though His body was buried… the heaviness of mourning would lift. And even though all hope seemed lost and Satan had won… God wasn’t finished yet.
Isaiah 53:5 ” But He was pierced for out transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
On this Good Friday, we can reflect on the sufferings of Christ that removed the penalty we owed for our rejection of God. As John 3:16-17 tells us, God sent His Son to save the world through Him…taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all people. And as a result, “We have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:11) … or as I Corinthians 15:3 tells us, justification by grace alone through faith in Jesus as our Savior. So today, remember God’s mercy towards you… seen in the substitutionary punishment of Jesus on the Cross as He took on your sin… so you could be free.
Mark 4:26-29 ” He also said, ‘ This is what the Kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’ “
This is one parable that Jesus does not go on to explain to His disciples in detail, but even Paul understood its underlying meaning when he wrote in I Corinthians 3:6-8 about God’s role and our role as fellow field workers. The way God uses His Word in the hearts of man we have to admit is mysterious and completely independent of any of our efforts. We just need to remain faithful in “sowing the seed”, praying for the harvest, and leaving the results totally in the Lord’s hands. For only the Lord gives the increase in the seed that we scatter.
Galatians 6:2 ” Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the Law of Christ.”
As the family of Christ, we are to help bear the struggles of our brothers & sisters. This is the true fulfillment of the Royal Law or Christ’s Law of Love. For when we see a fellow Christian weighed down by physical, emotional, spiritual, or financial stress, we are to lend a hand…whether it is by encouragement, acts of service, or simply by being there. This active support then becomes the reflection of the love and compassion of Christ in very tangible ways.
Psalm 119:165 ” Great peace have those who love Your Law; nothing will make them take offense.”
Those who love God and His precepts experience great peace and are not easily troubled. This is exhibited in their kindness, patience, tolerance, and inner peace towards others. But as a caregiver, you may experience melancholy when you realize you are unable to continue in all the things that make you feel fulfilled. This sadness can hinge on resentment…which makes you feel even worse…knowing your loved one has nothing to do with their declining health. I remember talking to a friend years ago whose husband had managed his Multiple Sclerosis for years, until he couldn’t. This realization of giving up all her outside interests had hit her like a ton of bricks as unhappiness seeped into her life. And I could well relate, having faced this with my first husband…and now. But Paul warns of allowing resentment, and animosity to turn into bitterness in II Timothy 2:24, for as the Lord’s servant, we must not quarrel, instead being kind to everyone and not resentful. So daily, I must give God any of my unhappiness in exchange for His peace… that I may be tolerant, patient, and kind.
Safetypinlove 