The people of Ninevah change their sinful ways and God decides not to destroy them all because of Jonah. He must be happy, right? He saved the lives of over 100,000 people, he is a hero.
Nope.
Jonah is angry because God didn't destroy Ninevah. Jonah wanted to pull up a chair, get some popcorn and watch God level the city and everyone in it.
Jonah wanted God to listen to him. I think there are times in all of our lives that we want God to listen to us, we want God on our side. When God doesn't listen to us, we get angry and sometimes even walk away from God altogether.
God's plan is bigger than we can understand. God loves more people than we do and God loves our loved ones more than we do. Today is my second anniversary, I love my wife more than words can say, but I don't love her as much as God does. It's not possible to love her that much.
Could there come a time when she needs God and is disappointed? Sure, but it doesn't mean God has stopped loving her.
There are times when we need to be told "no." There are times when we can't understand why God isn't acting. There are times when anger is natural, but there is never a time when God stops loving us.
Even when we think God needs a consultant.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Jonah 3
Jonah finally goes to Ninevah and does what God asks of him. Jonah declares "Forty more days and Ninevah will be overthrown." Jonah expects to be killed by the people of Ninevah for proclaiming such a dreary message, or at the very least mocked by everyone.
The last thing he expects to happen is what happens. The people actually listen to him and change their ways. God's mind is changed because their actions have changed, they are not destroyed.
We can read this 2 ways. First, Jonah was nuts and God wasn't going to destroy Ninevah either way. We have a lot of so called "prophets" telling us the world is going to end on a specific date, and when the day passes they claim that God's mind changed because we became better people.
Or we can look at this as God using one person to change a city, or a nation, or the world.
Can one person really make that big of a difference? No. Can God make a difference through one person? Absolutely.
We are in the midst of a Capital Campaign at Abiding Grace, trying to raise enough money to find a permanent home. But that's not really why we are doing it. We are raising money so that we can change the world. We are buidling a foundation that God can build on for years to come.
Can Abiding Grace change the world? No.
Can God change the world through us? Absolutely.
One person at a time.
The last thing he expects to happen is what happens. The people actually listen to him and change their ways. God's mind is changed because their actions have changed, they are not destroyed.
We can read this 2 ways. First, Jonah was nuts and God wasn't going to destroy Ninevah either way. We have a lot of so called "prophets" telling us the world is going to end on a specific date, and when the day passes they claim that God's mind changed because we became better people.
Or we can look at this as God using one person to change a city, or a nation, or the world.
Can one person really make that big of a difference? No. Can God make a difference through one person? Absolutely.
We are in the midst of a Capital Campaign at Abiding Grace, trying to raise enough money to find a permanent home. But that's not really why we are doing it. We are raising money so that we can change the world. We are buidling a foundation that God can build on for years to come.
Can Abiding Grace change the world? No.
Can God change the world through us? Absolutely.
One person at a time.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Jonah 2
In verse 9 Jonah promises God "But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good."
Only problem, it's a little late to be making these promises. Jonah was thrown into the sea and swallowed whole by a large fish... He is now in the fish's belly. From here, there are two ways he could go. Either he can be vomited out and live or head through the bowels and become fish poop. I have heard of soldiers making promises to God in foxholes, but this is a little different.
Asking for help is a hard thing to do. Listening to God is even harder.
Jonah isgnored God, which we can all relate to. Maybe we have not been called to announce judgment on Ninevah, but every day we do stuff that God asked us not to, we call it sin. Sin has consequences, sin makes life harder than it has to be... Life is hard enough already.
But we don't have to go through it alone.
For some reason most people don't ask for help unless they absolutely have to. Men don't like to ask for directions, and thanks to google maps on our phones, we never have to! In our culture asking for help is a sign of weakness. Even when do ask for help, we try not to tell others about it. Most people that go to counseling do not want to tell their friends about it, it is embarrassing.
And we don't turn to God unless things get really bad, like downsizing at work or we are waiting for the test results.
How stupid!
We were created to help one another. God wants us to spend our lives helping one another, it's how we are supposed to live. Everyone needs help at some point, there is no shame in it. Whether it be because of a loss of a job, an addiction, a confusing phase in life or a couch that needs moving, we can all use a hand some time.
Asking for help is a healthy thing to do. Do it early and often. Save yourself the trouble.
It's a terrible thing when you're only options are puke or poop.
Only problem, it's a little late to be making these promises. Jonah was thrown into the sea and swallowed whole by a large fish... He is now in the fish's belly. From here, there are two ways he could go. Either he can be vomited out and live or head through the bowels and become fish poop. I have heard of soldiers making promises to God in foxholes, but this is a little different.
Asking for help is a hard thing to do. Listening to God is even harder.
Jonah isgnored God, which we can all relate to. Maybe we have not been called to announce judgment on Ninevah, but every day we do stuff that God asked us not to, we call it sin. Sin has consequences, sin makes life harder than it has to be... Life is hard enough already.
But we don't have to go through it alone.
For some reason most people don't ask for help unless they absolutely have to. Men don't like to ask for directions, and thanks to google maps on our phones, we never have to! In our culture asking for help is a sign of weakness. Even when do ask for help, we try not to tell others about it. Most people that go to counseling do not want to tell their friends about it, it is embarrassing.
And we don't turn to God unless things get really bad, like downsizing at work or we are waiting for the test results.
How stupid!
We were created to help one another. God wants us to spend our lives helping one another, it's how we are supposed to live. Everyone needs help at some point, there is no shame in it. Whether it be because of a loss of a job, an addiction, a confusing phase in life or a couch that needs moving, we can all use a hand some time.
Asking for help is a healthy thing to do. Do it early and often. Save yourself the trouble.
It's a terrible thing when you're only options are puke or poop.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Jonah 1
God calls Jonah to go to the city of Ninevah and preach against it because it was a wicked place. Jonah doesn't want to, he is afraid that they will kill him. So instead he runs away, he hops on a ship and sets sail in the opposite direction of Ninevah.
God does not like being ignored, so He sends a great wind and the sea becomes very rough, to the point that the sailors fear for their lives. They all realize that God is causing the waves and when they realize that it is Jonah who has upset God, they throw him into the sea.
When I read this story I t can't help but think of the years I ran away from God and my call to be a pastor. I worked in corporate America and started climbing the ladder. I thought that I would do that for 35 years, retire, buy a condo in Florida and golf every day for the next 20 years.
I talked to a friend of mine that was a pastor, he told me that going to seminary was like throwing up, you put it off as long as you want, but if God wants it to happen, it is going to happen. It happened.
God calls us all to do something with the gifts that He has given us.
What task are you running from?
God does not like being ignored, so He sends a great wind and the sea becomes very rough, to the point that the sailors fear for their lives. They all realize that God is causing the waves and when they realize that it is Jonah who has upset God, they throw him into the sea.
When I read this story I t can't help but think of the years I ran away from God and my call to be a pastor. I worked in corporate America and started climbing the ladder. I thought that I would do that for 35 years, retire, buy a condo in Florida and golf every day for the next 20 years.
I talked to a friend of mine that was a pastor, he told me that going to seminary was like throwing up, you put it off as long as you want, but if God wants it to happen, it is going to happen. It happened.
God calls us all to do something with the gifts that He has given us.
What task are you running from?
Monday, May 21, 2012
Obadiah
Obadiah is a prophet that writes down a vision he has seen against the people of Edom.
Why is God against Edom?
They stood aloof while others carried off their brothers wealth and gloated at their misfortune. They didn't stand up for their fellow countrymen, they stuck out their tongues and laughed at their misfortune.
Have you ever laughed at someone elses misfortune? Have you ever sarcastically said the words "couldn't have happened to a nicer guy?" I have... I really enjoyed watching the Ohio State football program get nailed with NCAA sanctions last year over a couple free tattoos.
Jesus told us to love our neighbors, but it's a lot easier to kick them when they are down. That's why we have tabloid magazines and entertainment television shows; Americans love a good train wreck.
God is not like us.
God doesn't point and laugh at us when we're down; He's not entertained when our lives veer off the track.
God wants to help us, and wants us to help each other.
Why is God against Edom?
They stood aloof while others carried off their brothers wealth and gloated at their misfortune. They didn't stand up for their fellow countrymen, they stuck out their tongues and laughed at their misfortune.
Have you ever laughed at someone elses misfortune? Have you ever sarcastically said the words "couldn't have happened to a nicer guy?" I have... I really enjoyed watching the Ohio State football program get nailed with NCAA sanctions last year over a couple free tattoos.
Jesus told us to love our neighbors, but it's a lot easier to kick them when they are down. That's why we have tabloid magazines and entertainment television shows; Americans love a good train wreck.
God is not like us.
God doesn't point and laugh at us when we're down; He's not entertained when our lives veer off the track.
God wants to help us, and wants us to help each other.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Nahum 3
Verse 6: (God said to the people of Ninevah) "I'll pelt you with dog dung and place you on a pedestal: 'Slut on Exhibit" (The Message)
I have to be honest, I know I've read Nahum before, but I don't remember God being in the business of throwing dog poop. Other translations read "I will pelt you with filth," either way, it means the same thing... Poop flying at heads.
(While this image may sound disturning to you, I actually grew up very close to someone that enjoyed throwing dog poop at others... It can be quite entertaining when it's not thrown at you.)
But this is not meant to be funny, this is serious. God will put the people of Ninevah on a pedestal that reads 'Slut on Exhibit' and then fling dog poop at them. This a threat that carries great shame for the people of Ninevah.
The text goes on to say why God will do these things, the politicians make promises then disappear, the bankers and brokers are called locusts and their lives revolve around taking advantage of the less fortunate. Verse 16 says "A plague of locusts, cleaning out the neighborhood and then flying off."
Sound familiar? So when is God coming to throw poop our way? Where is our pedestal? Where is our shame?
God did not put anyone on a pedestal, but allowed his Son to be nailed to a cross. The sign didn't say 'Slut on Exhibit' but mocklingly said 'King of the Jews.' A charge of blasphemy was worse than a charge of adultery. People walked by and flung insults at him while blood rolled down his naked body and he struggled to breathe.
That's where our shame is.
I have to be honest, I know I've read Nahum before, but I don't remember God being in the business of throwing dog poop. Other translations read "I will pelt you with filth," either way, it means the same thing... Poop flying at heads.
(While this image may sound disturning to you, I actually grew up very close to someone that enjoyed throwing dog poop at others... It can be quite entertaining when it's not thrown at you.)
But this is not meant to be funny, this is serious. God will put the people of Ninevah on a pedestal that reads 'Slut on Exhibit' and then fling dog poop at them. This a threat that carries great shame for the people of Ninevah.
The text goes on to say why God will do these things, the politicians make promises then disappear, the bankers and brokers are called locusts and their lives revolve around taking advantage of the less fortunate. Verse 16 says "A plague of locusts, cleaning out the neighborhood and then flying off."
Sound familiar? So when is God coming to throw poop our way? Where is our pedestal? Where is our shame?
God did not put anyone on a pedestal, but allowed his Son to be nailed to a cross. The sign didn't say 'Slut on Exhibit' but mocklingly said 'King of the Jews.' A charge of blasphemy was worse than a charge of adultery. People walked by and flung insults at him while blood rolled down his naked body and he struggled to breathe.
That's where our shame is.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Nahum 2
Most of Nahum 2 reads like a scene from the Lord of the Rings. Ninevah is attacked by a large army and the people are taken away into exile. Then in verse 13 it says: "I am against you," declares the Lord Almighty.
I think there are a lot of people today that the think that God is for them, that God is on their side. They stand behind podiums and claim that God wants them to vote a certain way or a do a certain thing. What I find comical is that often people on complete opposite sides of a debate believe that God is on their side.
Last week North Carolina decided to outlaw gay marriage. I saw on facebook and twitter where Christians celebrated because God's side had won and I saw where Christians were certain that God was mourning the stripping of basic human rights.
What side is God on? I guess it depends on what side you're on.
Unless you have proof that God is on your side... but is that possible?
The bible is pretty clear that God is on the side of the widow, the poor and the oppressed.
If you are rich, God is most likely not on your side. If you are the oppressor, God is definitely not on your side.
So how can a middle-class American know that God is on their side?
They can join God's side... they can care for the things God cares about. Find the widow, the poor and the oppressed and do what you can to help them.
God is not interested in your agenda. God is calling you to be interested in His.
I think there are a lot of people today that the think that God is for them, that God is on their side. They stand behind podiums and claim that God wants them to vote a certain way or a do a certain thing. What I find comical is that often people on complete opposite sides of a debate believe that God is on their side.
Last week North Carolina decided to outlaw gay marriage. I saw on facebook and twitter where Christians celebrated because God's side had won and I saw where Christians were certain that God was mourning the stripping of basic human rights.
What side is God on? I guess it depends on what side you're on.
Unless you have proof that God is on your side... but is that possible?
The bible is pretty clear that God is on the side of the widow, the poor and the oppressed.
If you are rich, God is most likely not on your side. If you are the oppressor, God is definitely not on your side.
So how can a middle-class American know that God is on their side?
They can join God's side... they can care for the things God cares about. Find the widow, the poor and the oppressed and do what you can to help them.
God is not interested in your agenda. God is calling you to be interested in His.
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