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Something Fishy

Throughout world history, the Assyrians have been known as some of the cruelest, most sadistic people who ever lived. And though Jonah was scared to go to Nineveh (where the Assyrians lived), he wasn’t afraid of their cruelty. He was afraid of the mercy of God!

You see, Jonah knew God would be quick to forgive and offer mercy to the citizens of Nineveh. That was the last thing Jonah wanted to see! He didn’t want them blessed; he wanted them blasted! Yes, he definitely needed an attitude check.

But before we quick to judge Jonah as being a heartless prophet, let’s search our own hearts. Do you ever find it tough to forgive someone who’s been mean to you? Are you willing to go out of your way for someone who’s been a jerk to you or your friends? It can be hard, can’t it?

As we read the first chapter of Jonah, we see find that he went the exact opposite direction from Nineveh. He caught a ship and headed toward Tarshish. Guess what—when you’re running from God, Satan will always have a “ship” ready to take you the opposite direction. In other words, the devil will always tempt you with a means of escape.

The Bible tells us that Jonah went down to Joppa. That was the first step of a downward spiral the prophet would take to get away from God’s mission. Jonah boarded the ship, went to a downstairs cabin and fell asleep. This particular ship was filled with sailors, and they were terrified when an horrendous storm began to threaten their safety.

They began tossing things overboard in order to lighten the weight on the ship, and someone remembered Jonah who was asleep in the bowels of the boat. Don’t think for a second that he was sleeping because he was at peace. He was sleeping out of rebellion and escape.

Maybe you’ve been there. Have you ever felt so down, so confused, so angry, that you simply went to bed and pulled the covers over your head? It’s a means of escape, isn’t it? It enables us to forget—for the time being—the heaviness that weighs on our heart.

The sailors finally woke Jonah, and he came clean with them. He admitted that he was the reason for the storm. He even told them that if they’d toss him overboard, their lives would be spared. So they did. And just as Jonah had predicted, they safely sailed on to their destination.

Know It!
There’s no place we can go to hide from God. Unless we’re running from Him, we can take great comfort in the fact that He always knows where we are!

Read It!
Jonah 1, 2.

Pray It!
Seek God’s forgiveness for the times you’ve tried to escape His leading. Ask Him to help you be more sensitive to His guidance in your life.

Hard To Swallow?

Today we get to the part of Jonah’s story you’ve probably heard about—the part where he’s swallowed by a huge fish!

The sailors tossed Jonah overboard, and may have thought he’d seen his last days, but God wasn’t finished with him. God caused a giant fish to approach Jonah and actually swallow the prophet alive.

Now this is where many people grow skeptic. “It’s a fairy tale!” they chide. “How are we supposed to believe a fish swallowed a man, and he lived through it?”

If people would simply do some historical research, they wouldn’t struggle with the idea of Jonah being in the belly of a great fish or a whale. Check out the following account by M. DeParvelle, French scientist and editor of the Journal Des Debats:

In February 1891, the whaling ship, Star of the East, was in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands when the lookout sighted a large sperm whale three miles away. Two boats were lowered and in short time, one of the harpooners was able to spear the creature. The second boat also attacked the whale, but was upset by a lash of its tail, causing the crew to fall into the sea. One of them drowned. But the other, James Bartley, simply disappeared without a trace.

After the whale was killed, the crew set to work with axes and spades to remove the blubber. They worked all day and into the night. The next day, they attached tackle to the stomach in order to hoist it to the deck. In doing so, the sailors were startled by something in the stomach which gave spasmodic signs of life. Inside was found the missing sailor, doubled up and unconscious. He was laid on the deck and treated to a bath of sea water which soon revived him.

At the end of the third week, he had entirely recovered from the shock and resumed his duties on the ship. Although his face, neck and hands were bleached to a deadly whiteness and he took on the appearance of parchment, Bartley affirms that he probably would have lived inside his house of flesh until he starved, for he lost his senses through fright and not through lack of air.

That’s only one of several records where non-Christian historians and scientists have recorded incidents of men surviving in whales. Again, Jonah’s story is not a fairy tale! It’s an historical event that actually happened!

Know It!
God has no problem at all making the seemingly impossible become reality. If He created a world out of nothing, a man from dust, and raised the dead to life, He could certainly enable a man to survive in the belly of a fish for three days!

Read It!
Jonah 1, 2, 3.

Pray It!
Ask God to deepen your faith and to erase the doubts of all He wants you to believe.

Gone Fishing

Okay, so Jonah’s vacation dwellings aren’t the most desirable in the world! Can you even imagine? Ugh! He was definitely in a tight spot! And tight spots are interesting, because they either make us bitter or better. Think of it this way: The same boiling water that hardens an egg, softens a potato. We always have an attitude choice!

The second chapter of Jonah begins with the fact that Jonah began praying. But it wasn’t when he was swallowed. He waited until he truly felt he had no other choice. Jonah waited for three days and three nights before he finally turned to God.

He must have been totally miserable! What can one do inside the belly of a whale? Untangle the intestines? Sort through the menagerie of other things the whale has swallowed?

With seaweed wrapped around his head and fish slapping him in the face, Jonah sweated through a stifling 98.6 degree temperature inside the belly of that great fish. And three days later, when he could absolutely not stand it any longer, he began to pray.

Can you identify with that? Is it easy for you to wait until your back is against the wall before you turn to God? Do you sometimes try all your other options, working hard to fix the problem, and finally—when nothing else has worked—you turn to your heavenly Father?

God heard his prayer. The fish suddenly felt the urge to regurge, and Jonah was vomited on the beach. He may have felt that he was going nowhere for the past three days and nights, but the whale was always moving. And he moved right to the beach where God wanted Jonah all along.

Now we get to the part of the story where we see God as a God of second chances. He didn’t give up on Jonah. He had an incredible plan for an amazing revival in Nineveh, and He wanted to use Jonah to usher it in. So God gave him a second chance.

Jonah obeyed this time, but he still had a rotten attitude. Even though he shared the gospel with the Assyrians and told them to repent in three days or God would destroy them, he secretly wanted to see them destroyed.

Know It!
God can work through anyone and anything to accomplish His purposes. He can use Christians, non- Christians, the weather and even mammals. God’s plans will survive and thrive!

Read It!
Jonah 1, 2, 3, 4.

Pray It!
Tell God you don’t want a reputation of having a lousy attitude. Ask Him to help you be sensitive to the leading of His Spirit in your life.

A Whale of a Tale Comes To an End

In spite of Jonah’s rotten attitude, the people of Nineveh listened. They’d never heard the message before. They had no idea God loved them and wanted to grant them forgiveness. A great revival broke out, and the entire city—including the government—repented and turned from their wicked ways.

Why were they so quick to believe? Two reasons:

1. The message was simple. The gospel—when preached in pure form—is always simple. It’s easy to understand. Reverend Billy Graham is known for preaching the gospel in a simple and easy-to- understand manner. And that’s why thousands have come to know Jesus over the years through his crusades. The gospel doesn’t need to be “fancied up” or doctored with humor and statistics. If we’ll keep it simple and just share the Word of God, people will respond!

2. The messenger was real. Can you imagine what Jonah must have looked like when he was vomited up on the beach? In the three documented cases of men being swallowed by whales (two by whales and one by a whale-shark), all three men emerged in the same condition: Due to the gastric juices in the stomach, they looked like hairless albinos—pure white with not even an eyelash or eyebrow to be found. Jonah was a living testimony! How could people not believe him?

That’s encouraging, because it proves we don’t have to be perfect to be used by God. Jonah was able to testify, “Hey! I’ve been in the pit of a fish for three days and three nights. Yeah, I’m bleached, but I’m alive! God has been merciful and gracious to me, and He wants to offer grace to you as well.”

You’d think Jonah would have felt privileged to have been used by God is such a mighty way. But instead of rejoicing over what God had done in a wicked city, Jonah was angry at God. We can imagine a conversation something like this:

“See, God! This is exactly why I didn’t want to preach forgiveness to those people. I knew if they repented, You’d forgive them and save them from their sins. And what about the destruction I predicted? Now it’s not gonna happen, because they’ve turned from their wicked ways, and I look like a fool talking about something that didn’t happen!”

Not exactly an attitude of gratitude, huh?

Know It!
Even though Jonah was used to usher in one of the greatest revivals in the world, he’s still known as the reluctant prophet. Determine not to be a reluctant follower of God! You don’t have to come across to your unsaved friends as perfect—only perfectly forgiven. They will listen! Just keep it simple.

Read It!
Jonah 1, 2, 3, 4.

Pray It!
Tell God you want to follow Him wholeheartedly and don’t want to be a reluctant disciple. Ask Him to help you fall so in love with Him that you’ll obey Him immediately.

A Holy Car???

We all know that WWJD stands for “What would Jesus do?” But let’s use our imaginations. It could stand for “We want jelly donuts!” or “What would Jesus drive?”

Hmmm. What would Jesus drive? What kind of car would catch His attention? Several people have speculated, and as you can guess, there are a variety of opinions.

Some believe Jesus would tool around in an old Plymouth, because the Bible says, “God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden in a Fury.”

But according to Psalm 83, the Almighty clearly owned a Pontiac and a Geo. The passage urges the Lord to “pursue your enemies with your Tempest and terrify them with your Storm.”

Maybe God favors Dodge pickup trucks, because Moses’ followers are warned not to go up a mountain “until the Ram’s horn sounds a lost blast.”

Some scholars insist that Jesus drove a Honda but didn’t like to talk about it. As proof, they cite a verse from the Gospel of John where Christ tells the crowd, “For I did not speak of my own Accord.”

Meanwhile, Moses rode an old British motorcycle, as proved by a Bible passage declaring that “the roar of Moses’ Triumph is heard in the hills.”

Joshua must have driven a Triumph sports car with a hole in its muffler: “Joshua’s Triumph was heard throughout the land.”

And, following their Master’s lead, the apostles pooled in a Honda: “The apostles were in one Accord.”

The real issue, of course, isn’t what kind of motor vehicle Christ would use to get around town, because He has chosen to use an entirely different vehicle. He has chosen you! So think about it: How are you doing at getting Christ where He needs to go? Let’s go through a quick checklist. Are any of these warning lights blinking?

• FUEL. Are you fueled up? Yes, this comes from the Bible. The more time you spend reading it, the more spiritual fuel you’ll have in your tank. It’s silly to risk driving on an empty tank. If you’re going to be a vehicle Jesus uses, make sure your tank is full!

• SPEEDOMETER. Check your speed. Are you moving too slow? Are you recklessly cutting in front of others to get ahead? Christ wants to bring balance and consistency to your life.

• VIEW. Check your windshield. How’s your view? Have you allowed pollution, garbage and things of the world to obstruct your view? Christ wants you to see Him as a “wiper blade” that continually cleans and clears your vision. But you need to do your part; don’t attempt to drive through the trash thinking, It won’t effect me. It will. Every time. Keep your view clean!

• OIL. Are your gears shifting and running smoothly? Only the Holy Spirit can make your relationships run smooth. If you’re having trouble with a specific gear, don’t hesitate to make things right.

Know It!
For you to be the vehicle God uses to transport Christ, you need to be constantly in tune with the Master Mechanic.

Read It!
1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Ephesians 4:31-32; Philippians 4:8.

Pray It!
Tell God you’ve never really thought of yourself as His vehicle, and ask Him to help you keep in tune spiritually.

GO!

Go against the grain
Go all out
Go ape
Go bananas
Go climb a tree
Go cold turkey
Go fly a kite
Go for broke
Go for it
Go for the gold
Go forth
Go from rags to riches
Go full circle
Go hand in hand
Go haywire
Go hog wild
Go like the wind
Go out on a limb
Go in peace
Go out with a bang
Go West
Go to town
Go out like a light
Go public
Go over the top
Go the extra mile
Go through a phase
Go over something with a fine-toothed comb
But don’t simply
Go along for the ride!


Know It!
If there’s one thing God doesn’t want you to settle for, it’s mediocrity. Refuse to ride the fence, play the game, have a foot in both worlds. Give God your absolute best—100 percent. If you simply go along for the ride, you’ll only go from bad to worse.

Read It!
Numbers 17:12-13; Matthew 7:7-8; Revelation 3:15-16.

Pray It!
Tell God that you don’t want a mediocre relationship with Him. Ask Him to help you settle for nothing less that total commitment.

Quiz Time

• We should ACCEPT THE STORY of Jonah as

a. a myth.
b. an allegory.
c. an historical event.


• We know the story of JONAH IS TRUE, because

a. it’s referred to in the Old Testament and validated by Jesus in the New Testament.
b. we hear similar stories every single day.
c. we’ve seen the movie.


• NINEVEH was a MAGNIFICENT CITY to behold with

a. an amazing subway system.
b. hanging gardens, exotic animals, temples and huge towers.
c. a McDonalds on every corner.


• Jonah was AFRAID

a. of God’s mercy.
b. that he might end up being a sofa in an Assyrian’s house.
c. that his skull would be permanently placed as a cornerstone in one of the city’s pyramids.


• Jonah RAN FROM GOD and set sail on a ship headed for

a. Cancun.
b. the Bahamas.
c. Tarshish.


• ONCE ON BOARD, God brought forth

a. a midnight buffet for all on board.
b. a storm.
c. a shuffleboard tournament on deck two.


• Jonah SLEPT THROUGH THE STORM because

a. he was worn out from the luau.
b. he was totally at peace.
c. he was rebelling against God and using sleep as an escape.


• Jonah was tossed OVERBOARD and

a. soon swallowed by a large fish.
b. caught a small raft headed toward Jamaica.
c. did the butterfly stroke for three days.


• Jonah FINALLY TURNED BACK TO GOD after

a. he’d had a chance to go to church.
b. he’d spent three days and nights in the belly of the fish.
c. he’d been to an Audio Adrenaline concert.


• Jonah preached to Nineveh, AND THE PEOPLE BELIEVED because

a. he kept the message simple.
b. he used a Power Point computer presentation.
c. showed come cool videos.


• Through the story of Jonah, we learn that GOD IS A GOD of second

a. helpings.
b. innings.
c. chances.


Know It!
God wants to use you to tell others about His love and forgiveness. It won’t always be easy, but He promised to stay with you and enable you to share His words.

Read It!
Jonah 1, 2, 3, 4.

Pray It!
Spend some time in praying thanking God for giving second chances.

Saturday May 26

Christmas Every Day

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

One of my friends at church has a greeting that makes people smile. Even on the hottest of Sundays, he is likely to welcome someone by cheerfully calling out, “Merry Christmas!” My friend is an intelligent man, quite normal in every way, yet he persists in giving his unusual greeting.
For several years I thought he greeted people this way just to get a smile or laugh. Finally, I realized how appropriate his greeting is for every day of the year.
Nothing prevents us from continuously celebrating the birth of Christ side by side with rejoicing in His resurrection. How wonderful it is to recall at any hour the birth of Jesus, true man and true God, come into the world to save us from sin through His death and resurrection!
“He is risen!” might be a good response to that man’s greeting. By His death on the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the punishment we deserve for our sins. He suffered and died in our place, then rose from death so that we who believe in Him may live eternally.
So on this last day of Eastertide, Merry Christmas and a blessed Easter to us all—for Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Lord, I thank You that by Your death and resurrection, You have gained for me eternal life. Amen.