The way we live

Dear friends, we have these promises from God. So we should make ourselves pure—free from anything that makes our body or our soul unclean. Our respect for God should make us try to be completely holy in the way we live. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

We have been studying the life of Jonah, a prophet called to go to a sinful nation to warn them to turn to God. As we have discovered, it is really impossible to outrun God, keep others away from the consequences of our sin, or live forever in our rebellion. As he finds himself thrown overboard (the very thing he suggested to the sailors), he is swallowed by a big fish. In our sin, there is always 'darkness' of some form. The sea was dark, the belly of the fish was dark, and the emotional state of Jonah was pretty dark, as well. Sin takes us down - it never lifts us up.

While Jonah was in the stomach of the fish, he prayed to the Lord his God. He said, “I was in very bad trouble. I called to the Lord for help, and he answered me. I was deep in the grave. I cried to you, and you heard my voice." (Jonah 2:1-3) 

Jonah realized the 'darkness' was his own doing - rebellion is always a matter of choice. The 'big fish' held him 'captive' for three days and three nights - sufficient time to realize the dark place he was in was not where he wanted to be! If the rough seas had not been a good enough warning, the darkness that surrounded him in the belly of the fish would soon become so overwhelming that he would cry out to God. Sin has a way of presenting consequences in ever-increasing significance, doesn't it? Rough seas, discarded cargo, and an angry mob of sailors was one place of darkness for Jonah, but he still didn't think these consequences enough to cry out to God for mercy.

We might not realize how far we have moved away from the place God wants us to be until we experience the darkness that surrounds us on every side. One thing I don't want us to lose sight of in our study is God's grace. He didn't need to prepare the 'big fish' for Jonah, but he did. We don't know why Jonah wasn't just chewed up, dissolved in the stomach of the fish, and that would be that. What we do know is that even in our worst rebellion God doesn't abandon us. He 'prepared' the fish - somehow that included Jonah not being utterly destroyed. Even in our rebellion, God gives grace. It would be much better to never have rebelled, but we can take hope in knowing that he prepares a way for us to come out of that darkness. Just sayin!

Obedience vs. Rebellion - which one will God use?

Jonah said to the men, “I know I did wrong—that is why the storm came on the sea. So throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm.” Instead, the men tried to row the ship back to the shore, but they couldn’t do it. The wind and the waves of the sea were too strong—and they were becoming stronger and stronger. (Jonah 1:12-13)

If you are anything like me, you have probably tried any number of ways to figure out a solution that seemed quite a bit harder than you'd like it to be, all the while having been given the 'right answer', but choosing to ignore it in pursuit of 'any other solution'. The issue with 'any other solution' is that it rarely proves to be 'easier' or 'the best'. When we are told clearly what we need to do and ignore it in pursuit of anything else, we can be sure the work we are putting into the 'solution' will fall short of fixing the issue.

The seas were rocking the boat, it was taking on water from the rough seas, the winds were fierce, but these sailors are going to 'row back to shore'? How realistic is that? They are having a tough enough time trying to 'ride it out', much less escape it! The issue was Jonah's disobedience. The answer was to send him to the sea. The dilemma was that no sailor wanted to abandon a passenger into the depths of the sea if they weren't doing so for a burial at sea! Sometimes the solution seems a little odd or 'out of the realm of normal', but when God gives the solution, we would do well to listen.

So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t say we are guilty of killing an innocent man. Please don’t make us die for killing him. We know you are the Lord, and you will do whatever you want.” So the men threw Jonah into the sea. The storm stopped, and the sea became calm. When the men saw this, they began to fear and respect the Lord. They offered a sacrifice and made special promises to the Lord. (vs. 14-16)

Did the sailors feel tremendous guilt in following through on what Jonah advised? Absolutely. Did they see any other way? Nope. Could it be that even Jonah's disobedience would give these sailors a chance to see the power of the one true God, some of which I am sure were not following the Lord because they were to 'praying to their gods' to calm the seas? We'd like to think God could use our rebellion and disobedience in a positive manner, wouldn't we? God can use ANYTHING or ANYONE to share the truth about who he is, but he'd much rather do so through our actions of obedience instead of those of our rebellion! Just sayin!

There are always consequences

 Have you ever wondered if your rebellion has an effect on others? Wonder no longer! We cannot live outside of God's will for very long without it having an effect on those around us. Either they will suffer direct consequences of our rebellion, such as when a drug addict brings drugs into the home and an innocent child gets hurt by them, or they will be indirect, such as when a spouse engages in an extramarital affair and there is a division of family through divorce. The effects of your rebellion are felt by many more than just you.

Jonah said to the men, “I know I did wrong—that is why the storm came on the sea. So throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm.” Instead, the men tried to row the ship back to the shore, but they couldn’t do it. The wind and the waves of the sea were too strong—and they were becoming stronger and stronger. So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t say we are guilty of killing an innocent man. Please don’t make us die for killing him. We know you are the Lord, and you will do whatever you want.” So the men threw Jonah into the sea. The storm stopped, and the sea became calm. When the men saw this, they began to fear and respect the Lord. They offered a sacrifice and made special promises to the Lord. (Jonah 1:12-16)

Jonah knew he was in the wrong. He knew he was outside of God's will, and I believe he knew the storms these sailors were enduring was a direct result of his rebellion. He even goes so far as to acknowledge that he knows he did wrong, but he still isn't at the point of turning away from his rebellion and doing what God desired. Isn't it amazing how we can be unwilling to do what God asks and then when we realize we have been 'found out', we still choose to continue on in our rebellion? Given the chance to confess that he was wrong and then to ask God's forgiveness, he chooses to just be 'thrown overboard' and take his chances. 

Sin has a way of convincing us that our 'chances' might be okay on our own, when God clearly knows they will not be good at all. The choice to rebel against God's will ALWAYS has consequences. If not immediate, the cumulative effect of those choices will lead to some form of consequences in the end. We cannot outrun God - nor can we expect others to not suffer when we choose rebellion over obedience. It is never easy acknowledging our sin, but it is always more difficult to endure our rebellion. Just sayin!

The storm proves otherwise

But the Lord brought a great storm on the sea. The wind made the sea very rough. The storm was very strong, and the boat was ready to break apart. The men wanted to make the boat lighter to stop it from sinking, so they began throwing the cargo into the sea. The sailors were very afraid. Each man began praying to his god. (Jonah 1:4-5)

We asked the important question yesterday: "Can we outrun God?" Though we attempt everything to outrun his call, we need to pause for a moment to consider God doing whatever it takes to get us back on course in our lives. Is it possible that some of the 'storms' we have in life are caused because we have been trying to outrun something God has asked us to do? We find one distraction after another, or just plain go the opposite direction, hoping to put some distance between us and whatever it is God asks of us. The moment we decide to 'run' is the moment God begins to prepare the storm!

We might find that the general condition of our life's events turns from smooth sailing to rough seas. The more we resist God's pull, the harder it gets for us to navigate our life. Why? God knows the best path for us is one of obedience and there is nothing he asks of us that is 'too hard' or 'too impossible' for us. The moment we resist his work within our hearts, minds, or souls, the storm begins to ramp up. It isn't to punish us, but to make us see the futility of our 'retreat' to our places of perceived safety. Jonah went to the interior of the boat and attempted to sleep through the storm. In case you have done something similar, you are not alone!

There is always a cost to our rebellion. These boat owners and sailors counted on the delivery of that cargo they were forced to throw overboard that day. They would have lost the income that would have come when the cargo was safely delivered to its destination. Instead, they attempt to control the effects of the storm by lightening the load the boat was carrying. We need to understand that the 'storm' in our lives rarely just affects us. It has some form of ripple-down effect into the lives of others. We may be resisting God's call to obedience, but when we do, we begin to affect the lives of those who are nothing more than innocent bystanders. 

Disobedience isn't ever the easy way out. God will pursue us in whatever way is necessary to see our lives put back on track. We might think we can escape, but the 'storm' proves otherwise. Just sayin!

No escaping him

The Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai: "Nineveh is a big city. I have heard about the many evil things the people are doing there. So go there and tell them to stop doing such evil things.” But Jonah tried to run away from the Lord. He went to Joppa and found a boat that was going to the faraway city of Tarshish. Jonah paid money for the trip and went on the boat. He wanted to travel with the people on this boat to Tarshish and run away from the Lord. (Jonah 1:1-3)

Have you ever tried to run away from God? If you are anything like Jonah, chances are there have been times when God has asked you to do something you didn't agree with, nor did you actually 'want' to do. It comes as no surprise to God that we would actually 'resist' when things aren't exactly as we thought they should be, or that he has a different plan than what we may have laid out for ourselves. It should also not surprise us that God knows when we will resist because our 'opinion' of the matter is different from his!

Don't lose sight of the fact that God actually chose Jonah - so he knew his heart, understood his bullheadedness, and wasn't put off by his thinking he knew better than God. To be perfectly honest here, there have been times in my own life when I thought I knew better than God, going off in the direction I chose instead of the one he had laid out pretty clearly before me. That never ended well for me! God's plans are sometimes contrary to ours, but when we don't yield to them, we may find ourselves facing way 'bigger' and 'darker' circumstances than we might ever have imagined possible.

I doubt Jonah expected the whale. Nor do I expect he appreciated the not so 'comfortable' situation he found himself in when he resisted God's direction. We cannot expect God to just let us go our own way, rebelling against his will, trying to put distance between his purpose and our determined resistance for very long. Eventually we will realize our misguided plans don't actually land us where we wanted to be. When we do, we need to stop running and actually begin to listen intently to the leading he gives.

Our rebellion took us places we didn't want to go and into experiences we didn't actually enjoy all that much, but God's grace stands ready to restore us once we have had enough of our folly. Just sayin!

My way or the high way

 David had a great military commander naemd Joab. Joab was actually a bit of a 'hothead' in that he did what he wanted, often being quite ruthless in battle. He was feared by many and respected by those he commanded. Every king of those days had heard of the 'fierceness' of David's armies. They were able to overcome great armies and take much plunder as a result of the battles won. There came a time when David wanted peace with those around him - knowing they were aware of the 'greatness' of David's military force and his capabilities to overtake them if he wanted to. Abner was one such leader he desired a 'peace treaty' with - the commander of the armies that belonged to Saul at the time. He no longer wanted 'war' between the people of Judah and Israel. So, he reached out to form a 'peace pact'. As he did, Joab was off doing something else and did not know of the peace treaty. When he returned home and heard of this having occurred, he was furious with David because he wanted Abner dead. Why? Abner had killed his brother and he wanted revenge. Revenge makes us do very weird things and sometimes it even makes us violate what God desires us to do!

Joab then left David and sent messengers to catch up with Abner, asking him to return. They found him at the well of Sirah and brought him back, though David knew nothing about it. When Abner arrived back at Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gateway as if to speak with him privately. But then he stabbed Abner in the stomach and killed him in revenge for killing his brother Asahel. (2 Samuel 3:26-27)

This action greatly grieved David and he was not well-pleased with Joab. In fact, he declared the 'innocence' of both himself and his kingdom for this death. Then he called for a time of fasting and prayer. While everyone knew David was not responsible for the death of Abner, the death and burial became a time when those with David declared their loyalty to his leadership. While Joab was not quick to forgive those who had offended him, David was. In the military, I learned the importance of obeying the orders of those you served under. It was not something to be taken lightly whenever someone chose to disobey an order. Joab does not impress me as a man who liked to obey orders - choosing his own way time and time again. Eventually this kind of disobedience will catch up with a person, though.

The bad news for Joab is that David was greatly displeased with him and appointed someone else over his armies - Amasa. The stubborn and rebellious one who continuously seeks his own way in life will eventually find themselves in circumstances they don't want. Joab wanted power and actually deligthed in his position as the commander of the armies. To have another appointed in his place really tweaked his ego. That 'blow' to his ego resulted in another death - killing Amasa in spite of David having appointed him as his replacement. Unfotunately, our self-willed rebellion can result in us not being at peace with ourselves and others. When we want what we want and determine it is 'our way or the high way', we can be sure judgment will soon follow. We are never 'justified in our disobedience - though it seems 'right' to us, it can be very clearly wrong in God's eyes. 

Something I have realized about those who always see their way as the only way is that there is no reasoning with them. They will always see their way as 'best' and any opposing way as just not acceptable. When pride gets the best of us, we will do things we should not do. When anger leads to revenge, we are clearly moving into very dangerous territory. God will never be pleased with either our own 'self-determined willfulness' or our desire to take revenge. Both the leadership of our lives and revenge belong to him, not us. Remember this and we might just avoid some of the pitfalls of Joab's life. Just sayin!

Fuel the Right Fire with the Right Fuel

Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses. (Proverbs 10:12)

Another way to say this is that hatred actually 'fuels' dissension - it becomes a sometimes unrecognizable 'energy source' for the discord that ensues. It actually creates the 'material' that allows a situation to become 'combustible'. Dissension is just a fancy word for bickering, controversy, or disunity. If we want to stop any 'dissent', we must begin to chip away at the 'fuel' that it is being fed. There are many types of 'fuel', but allowing continual negative communication about the subject matter can actually begin to allow those words to take root in one's heart until there become enough 'fuel' to throw another log or two on that fire of discontent. Quarrels aren't always going to stop on their own - the fuel that allows them to continue has to be removed.

Love calms the rebellion - not just in the visible sense, but also deep within the heart of man. The more love has an impact on the one who is discontent, the less fuel there will be to continue to allow the rebellion to occur. If you have ever struggled with a rebellious child or teenager, you know very well there is some form of 'fuel' deep within them that just continues to stir up the embers of rebellion that is just beneath the surface most of the time. One of the toughest things a parent has to do is figure out what is fueling that rebellion. One of the easiest things a parent can do is love that child so deeply that they don't stop until they see the child's heart begin to change as a result of that continual love. Sounds like what God does with us, huh?

Rebellion is what some call disobedience, but it can also be outright defiance - the desire to continually be confrontational, oppositional, and spiteful. I am rebellious at times - disobedient to what I know to be right, but choosing to respond in another manner in that moment in time. When rebellion crosses the line into defiance, this is a dangerous place. Most teens go through the phase of needing to figure out how to make life choices, wanting more privilege than they want the corresponding responsibility, and thinking they know way more than they actually do. It is part of growing up, but when 'testing the waters' of one's own choices it sometimes creates an environment 'ripe' for quarrels and arguments.

While these 'quarrels' and 'arguments' are not harmful at first, with continued 'fueling' of them they can turn from simple rebellion (choosing to make one's own way in life - bending the rules a bit) into defiance (determining to live outside of the rules totally and continually). Counter the rebellion with love, as God does with us, and we often see the one given to rebellion begins to see less and less enjoyment in the rebellion. Eventually the love wins their heart over to obedience. God doesn't beat us with a stick - he lavishes love upon love upon love upon our hard and rebellious hearts. In turn, we stop 'fueling' the fires of rebellion within our hearts and allow that love to create a true desire to 'fuel' the fires of obedience. Just sayin!

In a dark place?

Been looking a little down lately? Maybe it is because you are hanging your head in shame, or perhaps you are just tired. Regardless of the reason, there is something that is suggestive by our present 'look' - something isn't quite right with us. In moments of rebellion, there comes a time of realization - the moment in time when we realize just how far we have drifted from what God would have wanted for our lives. In that moment, we often look up - simply because we have come to realize there is just no help found in looking down! If we looked down - we'd only see our problem, our shame, our tiredness, and our helplessness! When we look up - we see our hope for deliverance, renewal, freedom, and joy!

I was as far down as a body can go, and the gates were slamming shut behind me forever—Yet you pulled me up from that grave alive, O God, my God! When my life was slipping away, I remembered God, and my prayer got through to you, made it all the way to your Holy Temple. Those who worship hollow gods, god-frauds, walk away from their only true love. But I'm worshiping you, God, calling out in thanksgiving! And I'll do what I promised I'd do! Salvation belongs to God! (Jonah 2:6-10)

As far as we can go - what an apt description of the distance we have placed between God's direction in our lives and our obedience to that direction! Doors slamming shut forever - or so it seems in our finite understanding of the place we find ourselves dwelling emotionally, physically, or relationally. Yet...in the midst of our despair...God is never far from us - despite the distance created by our disobedience, he never is all that far away. It is indeed a shame for us to get to the place where our "lives are slipping away from us" before realizing how much our disobedience has actually cost us. Jonah is an example to us of the possibilities of redemption - grace where it is least deserved given without reservation. In the place of rebellion, we don't realize how much of "life" is slipping away from us. It may not be our literal "life", but it is indeed our spiritual, emotional, or relational life. We don't sense the loss associated at the points between God's direction and our continual resistance to his will. Yet, this "drift" is real - and it has a way of "distancing" us from God.

Jonah was in such a place. I have no idea what type of fish swallowed him up - nor am I going to speculate on this one, or debate anyone on the possibilities of this being a literal fish that swallowed him. I do know scripture says God prepared a place for him - a place for him to come to the realization of his need and the actual distance he has allowed to be created between himself and his Lord. This is God's way! He knows the exact point of our turning and he prepares the exact place for the "dawning" of our awareness of our intense need for restoration. We may not get swallowed by a big fish, but I am sure we have all experienced some "big fish" moments - those 'lowest of low' places in life! The "stuff" we are experiencing in that place just isn't all that pleasant - it smells awful, it makes us feel awful, and it gives us a sense of darkness which just envelopes us on all sides. No wonder we are looking down!

The "big fish" moment may be what some refer to as "coming to an end of our rope" or "reaching rock bottom". Whatever the expression, the need is the same - deliverance, freedom, grace given without measure! David finds himself in the misery of covering up his sin with Bathsheba, torn apart by his having compounded it with the murder of her husband. His bones ache, his mood is foul, and he has no joy in all the luxuries he is surrounded with as King of Israel. Sin has this effect - it robs us of the pleasures we once took so much for granted. I want us to consider that it is even God's mercy that allows for us to get to the place of "rock bottom". He also provides a way for us to get on solid ground again!  "Then God spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah on the seashore." Out of darkness, God brought sound footing again! Look at when God does this, though. It is not when Jonah first goes overboard - there has been a passage of time in which Jonah comes to a place of realizing he has been running from the very thing God desired for him. David had this same "span" between his disobedience and God's sending Nathan to him to tell him the story of his sin and the hope for his deliverance.

We often need this "span" in order to come to a place of submission because our rebellion is so deep. We just don't recognize our misery until it has become our undoing. Truly, this is a sad reality, but one we see played out in life after life - including our own. Yet, there is hope beyond our imagining! In the moment of "rock bottom", God is prepared with the next move! In the moment of our cry for help, his actions are swift on our behalf. This is the God we serve - merciful, moved by compassion, and swift to provide for his children. It is far better to never reach the place of distancing ourselves from God - but if we have, we can rest in the assurance of his grace! I don't know what "whale" has swallowed you whole, but I do know the seashore of God's deliverance awaits! All it takes is a cry for forgiveness! He does the rest! Just sayin!

Is there any end to it?

I can remember saying, "When I grow up, I will NEVER have to do this again!" All these years later, I don't know how many times I found myself complaining about something that needed to be done, but I still have to clean the toilet, pick weeds, and wipe down sticky cabinet shelves. I struggled back then with the "desire" to do what needed to be done because everything inside of me was saying, "I don't wanna!" It was one of those "I'm sitting down on the outside, but standing up on the inside!" moments. Did growing up really change much? Nope! I just came to realize toilets aren't automatic cleaning, weeds keep growing, and if you have any food in your cabinets at all, there will be messes.

Meanwhile, all the other people live however they wish, picking and choosing their gods. But we live honoring God, and we're loyal to our God forever and ever. (Micah 4:5 The Message)

We do an injustice to the holiness of God and the absolutes of the Word of God whenever we choose to "live however we wish" - picking and choosing what we will obey and what we will dismiss as not important, or even not applicable to our lives. Unfortunately, we do this more than we realize! We "filter out" the stuff that is "hard" to understand or "difficult" to comply with. We don't mind the "good" stuff - parts like blessings and riches - but we resist the "hard" stuff like obedience and paying a price. The truth is we need grace. Why? It is because of our desire to resist what we know is best for us! We find ourselves in the midst of the question asked of Eve many years ago...."Did God really say....?" How many times have we faced this same question in our lives? If we could just learn from the past mistakes of those who have gone before us, let alone our own past mistakes!
"But when all is said and done, God's Temple on the mountain, firmly fixed, will dominate all mountains, towering above surrounding hills. People will stream to it and many nations set out for it, saying, "Come, let's climb God's mountain. Let's go to the Temple of Jacob's God. He will teach us how to live. We'll know how to live God's way." (Micah 4:1-2) What NEVER ceases to bring me to my knees is the overwhelming grace of God when we clearly and defiantly choose our own way!

When all is said and done, this suggests there is an end to our rebellion. We cannot forever resist the truth of God. God will dominate - not as a demanding task-master, but as someone we willingly submit to because we see the tremendous love behind his grace! He will teach us to live - because without him, we are just making choices based on what we "think" will produce happiness and the freedom we desire. We can ignore wrong choices for a while, but eventually we want to feel "clean". The only "clean" we will ever need is the one called grace. We will know how to live God's way - because God will connect the dots for us! Today, we may only have one or two dots connected - in the end, he will reveal the total picture! In the meantime, we have moments of repentance and submission which allow the next dot to connect to the last. This process is repeated until we see revealed the final image - his Son revealed in us!

It is not by accident I point us so frequently to God's unmerited favor - it is simply because we need it so much! At least I do! I am not ashamed to admit it - I need his grace repeatedly (sometimes for the same silly thing over and over again!). There comes a time when we just desire to be "clean" again. It is in that moment that we realize that unless we are "washed" we have no hope of them being clean! Someone may point out the things that need to change in our lives from now till the cows come home, but until we actually realize we NEED clean hearts, we see no need to seek God's grace! Just sayin!

Get me to shore again!

I know it is Christmas morning and this may not seem like much of a 'Christmas' message, but I think it may just be the one 'gift' we all need in our lives. In our moments or seasons of rebellion, there comes a time of realization - the moment in time when we realize just how far we have drifted from what God would have wanted for our lives. Those moments are described as being as low as one can go - being as far away from obedience as one can manage to get. In those moments, there comes a realization of where we are and we often find ourselves looking up - simply because there is just no help in looking down or in looking around! If we looked down - we'd only see our problem! If we look around - we'd see others right there with us, as helpless and lost as we are. When we look up - we see our hope for deliverance!

I was as far down as a body can go, and the gates were slamming shut behind me forever—Yet you pulled me up from that grave alive, O God, my God! When my life was slipping away, I remembered God, and my prayer got through to you, made it all the way to your Holy Temple. Those who worship hollow gods, god-frauds, walk away from their only true love. But I'm worshiping you, God, calling out in thanksgiving! And I'll do what I promised I'd do! Salvation belongs to God! (Jonah 2:6-10)

As far as we can go - a description of the distance we have placed between God's purpose and direction in our lives and our obedience! Doors slamming shut forever - or so it seems in our finite understanding of the place we find ourselves. Yet...in the midst of our despair...God is never far from us. It is indeed a shame for us to get to the place where our "lives are slipping away from us" before we realize how much our disobedience has cost us. Jonah is an example to us of redemption - grace where it is least deserved. In the place of rebellion, we don't realize how much of "life" is slipping away from us. It may not be our literal "life", but it is indeed our spiritual life. We don't sense the loss associated with all the actions in between God's direction and our continual resistance to his will (directives) for our life. Yet, this "drift" is real - and it has a way of "distancing" us from God, and sometimes even from others.

Jonah was in such a place. I have no idea what type of fish swallowed him up - nor am I going to speculate on this one. I do know scripture says God prepared a place for him - a place for him to come to the realization of his need. This is God's way! He knows the exact point our turning will come and he prepares the exact place for the "dawning" of our awareness of our intense need for restoration - for being on the right track again. We may not get swallowed by a big fish, but I am sure we have all experienced some "big fish" moments! The "stuff" we are in just isn't all that pleasant - it smells awful, it makes us feel awful, and it gives us a sense of darkness which just envelops us. We don't need a whale to swallow us to come to the awareness we are not where we need to be!

The "big fish" moment may be what some refer to as "coming to an end of our rope" or "reaching rock bottom". Whatever the expression, the heart need is the same - deliverance! David finds himself in the misery of covering up his sin with Bathsheba, torn apart by his compounding it with the murder of her husband. His bones ache, his mood is foul, and he has no joy in all the luxuries he is surrounded with as King of Israel. Sin has this effect - it robs us of every one of the pleasures we once took so much for granted. It is actually God's mercy that allows for us to get to "rock bottom". In allowing the "rock bottom" moment, he also provides a way for us to get on solid ground again! The very next part of the passage states, "Then God spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah on the seashore." Out of darkness and foulness, God brought sound footing again! Look at when God does this, though. It is not when Jonah first goes overboard - there has been a passage of time in which Jonah comes to a place of realizing he has been running from the very thing God desired for him. David had this same "span" between his disobedience and God's sending Nathan to him to tell him the story of his sin and the hope for his deliverance.

We often need the "span" in order to come to a place of submission. We just don't recognize our misery until it has become our complete and total undoing. Truly, this is a sad reality, but something we see played out in life after life - including our own lives. There is hope beyond our imagining, even in that miserable place of absolute rebellion! In the moment of "rock bottom", God is prepared with the next move in our lives! In the moment of our cry for help, his actions are swift on our behalf. This is the God we serve - merciful, moved by compassion, and swift to provide for his children. It is far better to never reach the place of distancing ourselves from God - but if we have, we can rest in the absolute assurance of his grace! I don't know what "whale" has swallowed you whole, but I do know the seashore of God's deliverance awaits! All it takes is a cry for forgiveness! He does the rest! Just sayin!

So, you will even use my rebellion?

Picture the scene of seas out of control - waves tossing you about like you were a pin pong ball on the surface of the water. The sailors, all highly skilled in their task of steering and controlling the ship with rudder, sail, and their knowledge of the seas - trying desperately to return to shore, making absolutely no headway as they attempt to navigate the churning waters. They look for a "cause" for their present circumstances. They seek out Jonah in the hull of the ship, having "discussed" their circumstances with each other, they were told by him that he was clearly the "cause" of their present danger. Yet, they choose to attempt any other alternative than what he proposed. His proposal - throw me into the sea. I don't know about you, but I have been asked a few time to "throw someone under the bus", but I find the internal struggle with this whole concept just a little unnerving! Giving into the desire to be free of the circumstances and struggling with what may be an 'easy alternative' are common struggles for all of mankind. These sailors did what most of us forget to do - they prayed!

Then they prayed to God, "O God! Don't let us drown because of this man's life, and don't blame us for his death. You are God. Do what you think is best." They took Jonah and threw him overboard. Immediately the sea was quieted down. The sailors were impressed, no longer terrified by the sea, but in awe of God. They worshiped God, offered a sacrifice, and made vows. (Jonah 1:14-16)

God never ceases to amaze me with the many and varied ways he uses to get the message of his power and protection across to his creation. We often don't realize the means God will use until we look back "after the fact" and realize how much God was displaying his power AND his protection in our lives. It is in the "hindsight" where our hard-learned revelation occurs. In all their efforts to escape whatever calamity awaited them if they remained in the storm, they return to Jonah one more time. His answer is the same - throw me overboard. Not exactly the answer I am sure they hoped for at that moment, but the seas are getting more and more miserable to navigate - they are at the end of their rope. They are in a quandary and the only option they have is to PRAY!!! Imagine that! So, they turn to the one they "think" might be willing to listen - the God of Jonah - the one he appears to be running from. After all, it his God which is responsible for the sea's upheaval - at least according to Jonah.

Let's see their prayer a little closer. They turn to the God they really don't serve, but who seems to be in control of their present situation. Many times God uses circumstances to reveal himself - especially to those who don't know him personally already. God had asked Jonah to go to Ninevah because the people there were in need of him and here he stands in the hull of the ship, surrounded by sailors most likely in just as great of a need. Even in Jonah's running away from God, God is using him to touch the lives of people! How is it God can use even our disobedience to speak into the lives of others? I don't really fathom how he does it, but I see it recorded for me over and over in scripture - so I believe it is possible!

They still don't want to throw their newest acquaintance overboard, but he seems to insist this is the only course of action. Look at how they seek to be forgiven even before they take their next step to do as he suggests. Jonah could have said, just turn the ship around, I am heading for Ninevah so God will make this storm quit. It is quite possible his repentance could have calmed the seas. Nope, he insists they throw him into the crashing waves. Why do we find our rebellion such a stronghold in our lives - something we just cannot let go of, getting ourselves deeper and deeper into the thick of it as we continue to hold onto what we clearly need to let go of in the first place? I don't imagine Jonah is alone in his "firmness" of stubborn rebellion. In our rebellion, we frequently don't see any way of escape but to be consumed by that which is a result of our rebellion!

They all agree - it is time to trust Jonah's God to do what "he thinks best". Heathen men, praying to the divine God of the Universe, trust him to "do what he thinks best"! Now, isn't this awesome? God immediately calms the seas and they all stand on the deck of the ship, totally amazed at the power of Jonah's God. I wonder how many actually had the seed of salvation "planted" that day? The power of God on display - the hearts of men changed forever! I don't encourage our rebellion, but I am encouraged God can use even our rebellion as an instrument of grace in the life of another. In the openness about my own rebellion (running from God), others have been touched by the grace of God. I can only imagine how many times God has used our "cumulative" rebellion over the years! We cannot lose sight of what comes next - the sea does not consume Jonah. Herein is where we find our hope - our sin may get us into some pretty wicked messes, but it need not consume us! In our rebellion, God even provides for OUR protection! Run as we might, God still watches over us! Just sayin!

Waylaid between here and there

Finally - in the end, after considerable delay, at last.  We probably all have those "finally" moments in life, when we have been dinking around with something for so long in our lives and then as if we either could not stand it any longer, or the urge was too great, we proceed in the course we have been avoiding.  Avoidance is a tremendous deterrent to actually getting a matter accomplished!  We all have those deterrents, don't we?  The matter was too daunting for the energies we had left, so we rest a while.  The matter was too hard for the intelligence we possessed, so we "research" it for a while.  The matter made us just a little too uncomfortable, so we wait until we can have a change of heart toward it. When we reach the point of "finally", there is usually something good which will come from taking the first steps toward obedient action and if we are careful, maybe even a learning or two from the "delay".

Finally we did as the Eternal had commanded me, and we headed back...

...the Eternal your God, has blessed you in every way. He’s watched over you as you’ve journeyed through this vast wilderness. Throughout these 40 years, the Eternal your God has been with you, and you haven’t lacked a thing. (Deuteronomy 2:1,7 VOICE)

Israel had spent 40 years on a journey which would have taken about 11 days if there hadn't been a whole lot of "delayed progress" on their part!  An 11 day journey lasting 40 days is one thing, but 40 years?  Yep!  I will be the first to admit, there have been simple decisions I should have made much earlier, but because of my stubbornness or lack of commitment to whatever it was which I needed to take action on, the "journey" took a whole lot longer than it needed to!  I may not have taken 40 years, but I am but one heart and mind. Imagine what it was like for Moses trying to wrangle about 600,000 adult males, not to mention their wives and children!  That is a whole lot of minds and hearts to get moving in the same direction!

There is something about the point between the Red Sea and the time Israel is beginning to move into the Promised Land of Canaan which I think we can all benefit from seeing today. In the midst of the 40 year journey, God was at work!  Even in our most stubborn and resistive times in life, God is at work - not deterred by our stubbornness, nor offset by our predetermined will to do our own thing.  Let's examine a couple of things from the excerpts of our passage in Deuteronomy this morning:

- The "finally" moment involves them coming to a place of decision.  All our lives need on occasion is for us to come to a place of decision - to actually have our mindset fixed on one course of action.  Sometimes the lack of progress we make is not because we don't have options - we just don't pursue any of them!  We are in the middle of the options, digging ourselves a rut because we just keep circling all the options like horses pacing in the corral.  A rut is simply a path leading to nowhere!  It forms because of frequent travel - not because of inactivity.  We see that Israel wasn't "doing nothing" while they took this 40 year journey, they were just stuck in the middle of doing this or that, but not really settled on one course of action!  So, the rut got bigger and the distance between Egypt and Canaan got a little further away because they now had to also climb out of the rut!

- The "finally" moment didn't mean they had not seen anything accomplished in their wanderings.  In fact, when we read a little further, we see they came to a place of one mind and heart.  Imagine that!  When they "finally" came to an end of determining their own course, they aligned with God's course, and they began to make progress.  I imagine it should come as no surprise to any of us that this would actually be the result of repentance.  When we finally realize our course of inactivity, or misled activity, is just not getting us to the destination we so desperately desire, we often realize just how close we were to our final destination!  The "finally" moments in life are not without struggle - but within the struggle, a whole lot of "heart alignment" must occur.  We have to decide who it is we will listen to, serve with all our heart, and align our thoughts with.  In those moments between Egypt and Canaan, Israel had a whole lot of alignment moments.

- In between the time they began their journey and the "finally" moment, God was there all the time.  He didn't abandon them to their own devices, although it might have seemed that way to an outsider looking in. Here was this huge "herd" of people on the move from bondage in Egypt to establishing themselves as a people under the new "rule" of God himself.  Yet, somewhere between here and there, they got a little waylaid.  When one is waylaid, they are actually subject to an attack they may not have prepared for.  Imagine that - - - to get one's freedom and then be almost instantly "waylaid" by that freedom!  Has that ever happened to anyone else besides me?  I get so caught up in the enjoyment of my new found freedom that I miss the fact I am still on a course toward something else!  Israel forgot their mission because when it finally dawned on them what might be involved in seeing the fruition of that mission, they staggered in their belief.  They got all excited about their freedom, but then petered out when it came to pushing back a few obstacles in their path on the way to the blessing God had for them!

God is with us even when we are busy digging a few ruts! We may get a little distracted by the things which shouldn't really distract us, but God doesn't abandon us to our distractions! He keeps us, works with us, continues to provide for us, and when we are ready, he is there to help us take the first steps out of our ruts.  Just sayin!

Stake me up!

Stubbornness is something we are born with - at least I think it must be this way.  I don't think we one day just decide to be stubborn - I think it is something we have a tiny root of within our character at birth and the more we cultivate it, the stronger it becomes evident in our lives.  To break this down a little, stubbornness is being unreasonably obstinate - kind of like when you dig your heels in and just won't budge on a certain topic.  There is a sense of resolution which keeps you anchored - no matter that your choice may be wrong, or the results imminently bad.  In the most literal sense, a stubborn child is difficult to manage - because it is constantly a battle of the wills.  I'd like to challenge us to consider yet another definition of stubborn which may help us better understand it - difficult to shape.  When God speaks to us and we don't take notice of his instruction, we may get by with a firm warning and not much of any consequences the first time, but keep doing the same thing and digging your heels in deeper, and the consequences will grow much bigger!

If you keep being stubborn after many warnings, you will suddenly discover you have gone too far. (Proverbs 29:1 CEV)

All of following Jesus is about having our lives shaped - in fact, it is about having our lives "reshaped".  The tendency to be headstrong and unyielding in our opinion or determination to do something is what often gets us into the tight places in our lives - where we don't have much "breathing room" and life seems to close in around us.  The sooner we learn we need a little "reshaping", the sooner we can begin to allow God's Spirit and Word to begin the process.  I have a tree which is growing in the direction of our predominant winds.  It is not the tree which is stubbornly growing in that direction, for it is yielding to the force it most often is influenced by.  It is the wind which is stubborn - it is not easily changed, and it is exerting force against the tiny tree.  In time, this tree has yielded to the force which is greater.  This is often the case with each of us, going along with the most predominant force exerting whatever pressure it brings. Now, think on that one a little and couple this with our own stubborn "bent" in life - if the force is strongly opposed to the way we "should" be growing, no matter how much we try to "stake up" our lives, the force we are most influenced by will continue to exert just enough force to "bend us".

The Word of God and his Holy Spirit indwelling us does more than just "stake us up" against external opposing forces and poorly based internal opinions.  They can actually reshape our lives - working first to reduce the impact of the forces we are subject to externally and then ensuring the forces which are contrary to his will are transitioned from resistant to submissive internally.  What I am doing with my little tree out back is staking it us against the prevailing winds.  I am also giving it good fertilizer, tending the soil around it, and ensuring it has sufficient water for deep roots.  In turn, I am giving it a solid base upon which to grow and become strong.  All God's Word and his Holy Spirit do within us is give us solid base upon which we grow and become strong.  What we do is obediently yield, not to the forces which are contrary to their instruction, but to the wisdom of their pull in the opposite direction of the opposing forces!

Resistance to change is a difficult thing to deal with - because it is rooted in stubbornness and self-desire.  God's Word works within us to reveal our resistance.  If you have ever felt a little tinge of guilt when you hear some truth from the Word of God, you might just have been "marked" for a little "reshaping" in your life!  You see, I don't have to reshape the entire tree, I just have to ensure it remains consistently growing in the direction which will eventually bring it the greatest endurance and stability against the prevailing winds!  God doesn't have to totally make us into robots in order to have obedient children - he just has to capture our hearts!  He does this through the faithfulness of applying his Word in areas where our lives are hurting and falling apart - even when we don't recognize these places exist.  We are often the most resistant at the place we most need change!

The good news is that God isn't going to let us go "too far".  We will continue in our rebellion only so far - but all the while, God's voice will be consistently repeating the same message to our hearts.  We may try to ignore the call to "reshape" our lives, but if we are honest, we somehow know the voice we are hearing is really working for our good.  The desire to see us grow strong and upright is never going to be swayed by our stubbornness.  In fact, our stubbornness only increases God's desire to see our lives reshaped by his love, grace, and truth!  Just sayin!

Got any cowlicks?

Upbringing makes a definite difference in the outcome of the life which will follow, does it not?  Those brought up in a home where respect for authority is modeled, as well as taught, often develop a strong respect of their own for the authorities in their lives.  Sure, there are times of rebellion and a lack of total obedience, because each of us is human.  In general, the child brought up to respect authority and to be honoring of those God places in those positions in our lives will eventually return to the morals they have been seen modeled.  So, how much more important is the message of faith we model for those who are influenced by our behavior, words, and actions?  They may not exactly be our "off-spring" in the literal sense of the word, but when a younger believer aligns with a more mature believer, the opportunity to model behavior which will help in the "upbringing" of the younger exists.  We need to be aware of how we "pass on" what God has entrusted to us - it is caught by those who look to us as their examples in the faith.

You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We’re banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers. (I Timothy 4:6-10 MSG)

Upbringing is the season in life when an individual may be said to be in their "formative years".  In the sense of another brother or sister in the Lord, their "formative years" may be quite early in their walk, but there are also seasons of "growth" in which their growth is a direct influence of what they see modeled in others.  The basis of growth is the foundation of sound teaching - good examples to follow.  Sometimes we need more than just a good example and a lot of good words to direct us, though.  We have to take what we see and hear to heart - otherwise it is just "neat stuff", but not really helping to form a good foundation for "aligned growth".

I have a rather unruly crop of hair - with several cowlicks my hairdresser must work around as she cuts it into a style I can wear.  Those cowlicks are a direct result of the hair follicles not growing in "identical patterns" to the rest of the hair on my head.  As a result, they kind of "stick out" and give me a little frustration when styling it.  At some point in my development as a wee babe, those cowlicks got their start.  At an age when I really did not know much about my hair, those hair follicles were choosing to bring forth growth totally out of "alignment" with the other hairs on my head.  Once their growth pattern was established, it wasn't realistic to "undo" it.  

The same may be said about our spiritual growth.  We have a "formative period" in which we find ourselves laying a foundation of growth.  What we don't realize is how closely we align our lives after the good examples we have set for us, and how easily we can determine to just do our own thing. The issue with doing our own thing - we get "spiritual cowlicks"!  We get areas that look like they belong in our lives (just like the cowlicks on my head), but they really are "mal-aligned" - there is some rebellion deeper inside that keeps us from "lining up" with what we know should be the pattern we are to follow.  As a person ages, those cowlicks become more pronounced on the top of your head because your hair "coarsens".  I wonder if our "spiritual cowlicks" become more pronounced in time because we become a little "hardened" in doing things the same way we have always done them?

It takes way more "product" in my hair to control it than I really would like to use, but the truth is, I am a little vain!  I like "good hair days"!  Would that I were to be as concerned about the spiritual growth in my life, I might just have some real break-throughs which would help me to move forward in areas where I have been stagnant a while!  As a matter of fact, I think we might all have a little tendency to need these types of break-throughs in our spiritual lives - sometimes not really recognizing how much we have deviated from where we should be.  Any "unruliness" in our lives will stick out - it is just not possible to hide it forever.  We can mask it for a while, but at some point - it shows up!  

For time and eternity, humans will deal with their cowlicks by keeping their hair a little longer, essentially hiding the unruly portion; or perhaps they will shave it off in an attempt to just get rid of it.  The problem is at the root - nothing we do truly affects the cowlick we might have until we get at the root. The root is formed "in utero" - while we are in our developmental stages. Maybe this is why having the right examples to follow early in our walk makes all the difference in getting us off to the right start in our growth!  Just sayin!

Principle 30: Drop Those Reins

James Dean starred in a 1955 movie, "Rebel Without A Cause", depicting a bunch of emotionally confused and morally rebellious youth.  Dean portrayed a youth arriving at a new high school, falling for a girl, fighting with others who bullied him, and totally rebellious to both his parents and school officials. It was "cutting edge" back then, pointing out the secret desires of the teenage youth of the time, the "not so perfect" relationships of those 50's parents who didn't have a home life as perfect as June and Ward Cleaver, and the shift in social "norms" just about to bust out into full force in the 60's.  Defiance and emotionally charged "bad choices" are observed repeatedly throughout the film, but the truth portrayed on the screen in the death of his friend is really a reminder to all that without warning life can turn upside down.  In truth, your life is not your own - it is merely on loan.  Life choices may be made in haste, but the consequences will be around a long time to come.

Fear God, dear child—respect your leaders; don’t be defiant or mutinous.

Without warning your life can turn upside down, and who knows how or when it might happen?  (Proverbs 24:21-22 MSG)

Defiance ranges from open discontent with someone or something, to outright daring and bold resistance.  We get the little saying "I may be sitting down on the outside, but I am standing up on the inside" from this idea of being a little rebellious or defiant to authority.  It is not "open", nor is it outright bold, yet is just as damaging to our character!  Inward defiance is dangerous, for it sets down roots and begins to grow until it eventually finds a way of becoming expressed in our actions and attitudes.

Rebellion may encompass some of the same meaning, but it also brings into play this questioning of tradition - challenging the "norms" of values which have been handed down.  A rebel resists control by anyone other than himself. There is no desire to inward or outwardly conform.  A rebel seeks to take over control - to assume the authority belonging to another - because he believes he can do it better.  

Our last of the principles put forth in this list of thirty principles by which we are to live in order to have a sound foundation for interpersonal relationships, a right respect for authority, and a proper focus on the one who really matters deals with the tendency of our heart to resist control.  Remember - our thirty principles began with the idea of these being "tested principles" by which we will be able to live "accountable" lives.  If you look back at these principles, you will see a tie between how we treat others and ourselves as it applies to our respect for the authority we give to God in our lives.  If we won't submit to his authority as primary, all these sayings are merely that - sayings.  If we take his authority as that which is the only one worth submitting to, we are on our way to developing a strong foundation for living thoroughly accountable lives.

No wonder Solomon ends with the attitude of heart and mind which reflects our own desire to be in control!  It is a dangerous thing to hold onto the reins of our life so tightly that we become "rebels" and "deviants".  In fact, he warns clearly that our lives will be turned upside down if we continue to hold so tightly to our own ways of doing things - the need to be in control overriding all sense and sensibility.  Authority is evident all around us and what we choose to do with it matters.  How we choose to submit or resist is determined not in the immediacy of the moment, but in the "set" of the heart and mind in the long term.  When our heart is right with God, we find rebellions against authority (even his) as a little more difficult.  Focus determines heart direction - stay focused on Jesus and your heart's tendency toward rebellion and deviance will soon begin to have less pull in your life. Just sayin!

Not another plate of brussel sprouts!

Hate is a strong word, is it not?  Many parents actually try to get their kids to not use this word, but choose to say something like "I dislike brussel sprouts" instead of "I hate brussel sprouts".  Why?  Perhaps it is the intensity of the word - hate.  It carries the idea of some extreme aversion - almost a totally passionate dislike or repulsion for that which is being described.  In the English language, we have a lot of synonyms for the word hate: loathe, despise, abhor, and even detest.  To the child who doesn't want to eat his brussel sprouts, he is probably just trying to convey the idea of the taste being a little too bitter and displeasing to his palate.  When that pungent odor of brussel sprouts gets into his tiny nose, he just cringes because it doesn't smell so very sweet or as familiar as his macaroni and cheese favorite!  When God uses the word hate, he doesn't just imply a "dislike" for something - he is indicating a much stronger sense of repulsion, almost to the point of the object of such repulsion being rejected.  Whenever he tells us he hates something - it is as a warning to stay away from it because it has a harmful effect on us.  When he warns us against having such a strong repulsion to the things we NEED in our lives, it is a chance to sit up and take notice before it is too late!

For people who hate discipline and only get more stubborn, there’ll come a day when life tumbles in and they break, but by then it’ll be too late to help them. (Proverbs 29:1 MSG)

People who "HATE" discipline are actually those who turn away from it as though it were something repulsive - they reject it.  To reject something which is to our benefit is foolishness, yet how often do we approach the discipline of God's hand in this manner?  Perhaps too often!  The outcome of rejecting God's discipline as repulsive and not beneficial to our lives is to embrace even greater stubbornness - the very thing which gets us into trouble in the first place!  Now, how silly is that?  The child rejecting those brussel sprouts has no idea they provide him with 125% of his nutritional need for vitamin C in just one serving, or give him some elemental iron, or even a pretty sizable portion of vitamin A.  He only sees the green substance as "repulsive" and "smelly", so he rejects it.  Why?  He has no idea of how much BENEFIT the tiny round spheres will provide.  I think we might just approach God's discipline this way - not really recognizing the tremendous "hidden" benefit in it!

Discipline is one of those words we'd like to eliminate from out vocabulary almost as much as the child would want those brussel sprouts to magically disappear from his plate!  I think every child would be happier if the world had as many "brussel sprout eating fairies" as it does "tooth fairies" - swooping in unnoticed, cleaning the plate free of those tiny round repulsive substances, and then leaving a quarter in their place!  I almost think every child of God would be happier if there was some "discipline fairy" who'd swoop in and do the stuff they don't wanna do, leaving them with some special "gift" when it was all over - making life painless.  The rub...painless also means purposeless.  There was no true benefit from the "pain-free" discipline avoidance.  There might have been an immediate benefit of avoidance, but in the long run, whatever we avoid today will come back sometime in the future.

The concern with rejecting discipline is not that there won't be another opportunity.  The child who doesn't eat those brussel sprouts tonight may very well see them on their plate tomorrow!  The first concern we might have is that the thing we reject will be showing up over and over again until we actually deal with it!  God's ultimate concern is that we will become so hardened in our rebellion that we won't accept his discipline and our lives will just crumble in around us as a result.  Since God is respectful of our own free will, he will not impose upon us, strong-arming us into whatever he is after in our lives.  He gives us the time and space to either come to the place of accepting what we have been rejecting, or getting downright SET in our rejection of what he knows will help us.  God's grace may be new every morning, but there comes a time when we have rejected it so frequently that we just don't see it anymore.

So, what do we do to keep ourselves from rejecting God's discipline and becoming so rebellious that our eyes are turned away from the goodness God wants for our lives?  I think it comes first in taking periodic "pulse checks" to see how we are responding to the opportunities for discipline in our lives.  If we begin to think about it, we will see times when God was speaking to us and we just ignored it, or maybe only took it half-heartedly.  It may be a special message we read which pricked our hearts, or a sermon which prompted a few "amens" from the soul, but was quickly forgotten when on the way to the local restaurant after church.  It could be the last time you met up with a good friend and they just listened to you go on and on for a while, then made just a slight observation about how much differently you could have handled the situation you were rambling on about.  Or perhaps it was the last time you just got silent long enough to actually hear how empty your heart really is and how so very much God wants to fill it with the good stuff of his provision. 

It doesn't matter how often we do these "pulse checks" - it matters how well we respond to them.  When we get serious about what God is serious about, we find ourselves learning the "benefit" of the discipline!  Just sayin!

What's your modus operandi?

In charge - has the thought ever occurred to you to consider carefully who might just be "in charge" of your life?  Most of us would say we believe God is in charge of our lives - and we'd be correct in this assumption.  Yet, most of us live as though WE were in charge of our lives!  We don't consult God with our decisions - we make them and then look to him to "back us up" with those decisions.  We get ourselves into "binds" and expect him to bail us out.  At those moments when we are struggling to hold our head above water, we even get to thinking God may have just abandoned us.  Maybe the better perspective for us to have is not that he abandoned us, but that we totally missed out on the fact of his watchful protection over our lives even when WE insisted on being "in charge".  After wallowing for a while in our self-pity because we recognize our "plans" were not all that good, we find ourselves a little "exposed" by our folly, don't we?  Exposure often results in us wanting to "cover up" - we don't want to honestly admit the mess we have made of things, but it is hard not to!

God is in charge of human life, watching and examining us inside and out. We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives.  Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance.  (Proverbs 20:27; 21:2-3 MSG)

God has an amazing way of penetrating our hearts.  It is like he has a super-high powered spotlight which just gets into the corners of what we'd rather not admit is there.  The "power" of this "spotlight" actually allows discovery where there is resistance.  This is what "penetration" means - something exerts enough force or strength so as to overcome the resistance it faces. God has a way of doing exactly that - not settling for a glossing over of our inner character just because we are resistant to change.  In fact, God not only "sees into" us - he sees "through us".  This is a good thing since so many of us still like to hide behind our "masks" thinking no one will ever be able to uncover the reality of our shame, guilt, or pride if we do.

Motives are the things which actually cause us to act a certain way.  When our motives are not self-serving, we see the actions as being sacrificial and directed toward the best for another.  When we see our motives are inward directed, we might just see all the actions as a little self-seeking or selfish in nature - the actions serve to satisfy self.  This is why God needs a spotlight - to expose the motives which influence or direct our actions.  Motives are "internal" and there is the need to "unmask" them in order to really get at the heart of what makes us act as we do.

We cannot escape his examination - because without it, he cannot get at what motivates us to act as we do.  Until he gets past our rebellious "crust", he cannot impact our inner character.  The "penetrating" effect of his "light" may not be all that "enjoyable" at times - but it is totally necessary if we are ever to actually recognize his desire to be "in control" of our lives.  When we finally admit we have been in charge - he is free to begin to take control.  He moves from just "bailing us out" all the time to actually keeping us out of the position of being over our heads in stuff in the first place!

When we are young, we rely a lot upon our strength.  When we begin to get a little older, we rely not so much upon our strength as we do upon our wisdom. We have learned a few lessons along the way which help us to "work smarter" instead of "work harder".  I think this is also true in the spiritual sense - we don't rely so much upon our strength to get things done as we do upon the wisdom he gives.  This is when we know we are actually allowing the walls of resistance to his governance of our lives to come down - giving him control.

We may think our ways are right, but God is the best judge of this, not us. We see things with "blinders" on - only allowing a cursory view of what is immediately in front of us.  God has a way of seeing things without the blinders - he knows the peripheral effect of every action and has the greatest opportunity to help us avoid the hazards of what might actually do us harm. There are many who think this Christian walk is about a lifetime of bringing God sacrifices - what it is we DO for him.  Truth is, it is about a lifetime of what God DOES for us, because even the purity of our heart and motives is all because he intervenes to DO the clean up for us!

Our mode of operation is to make hasty decisions - not thought out well, kind of self-centered, and a little bit too close to the edge.  God's mode of operation is to help us learn to wait on his movements - taking the time to plan well, moving beyond our secret rebellion of always wanting to be in control, and then moving further away from the edge and more to the center of where he wants to keep us - right next to his heart.  Just sayin!

Hammer or Fire?

What do fire and a hammer have in common?  First, both have an effect of changing what they touch, don't they?  Nothing touched by fire is quite the same - so it is with the hammer - they both can reduce to pieces that which are touched by their influence.  Second, there is a "heating" effect of both.  The hammer begins to "heat up" the nail as it drives it through the wood - repeated blows from the hammer actually change the temperature of the nail!  So, there are some commonalities between the hammer and fire. Why on earth does God compare his Word to fire or a hammer?  Perhaps it is for the reasons we have just stated - it changes what it comes into contact with and it has a way of changing the "temperature" of whatever it touches.

Is not My word like fire [that consumes all that cannot endure the test]? says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks in pieces the rock [of most stubborn resistance]?  (Jeremiah 23:29 AMP)

It is important to see God does not say the purpose of the fire is to consume us and get us all ashy - it is just to consume whatever cannot hold up to the test of the heat!  So, in other words, whenever we feel like the Word of God is a little "consuming" in its focus, it is like a farmer doing a controlled burn around his place.  The purpose of the controlled burn is to remove the weeds and brush which threaten the potential for his harvest!  The Word of God is really not after the good stuff - it is after the "chaff" - the unfruitful, unproductive, and choking influences of our life.  Have you noticed how well some of the wood burns in a fire, while the other wood seems to be harder to "catch" and it burns a lot longer before it is reduced to ash.  The "hardness" of the wood is often the determining factor of how long the fire has to "work" upon the wood to achieve the optimal effect of reducing the wood.  Sometimes our heart is responsive to the fire of God's Word, allowing the Word to take hold quite quickly.  Other times, it is a little harder, isn't it?  

The likeness of the Word of God to a hammer is pictured here not so much as the hammer driving home the nail, but of pounding upon rock.  I think this is an appropriate picture of our hearts sometimes - rocky, hard, and just needing a little "pounding".  My dad used to have a couple of sledge hammers - some smaller like hammer size, others bigger like the size of an ax.  It took quite a bit of effort to wield the sledge hammer, regardless of the size.  Why?  They carried some "weight" to them - because what they would come into contact with was often unyielding and requires a little more force to affect the desired change.  If we had an unyielding stone in the garden, dad could take a couple of cracks of the sledge hammer against the stone, effectively breaking it apart into "manageable" sizes.  Then he could remove them one by one.  I think God's Word is sometimes like this in our lives - it encounters some pretty unyielding stones and must break those stones up into smaller pieces, allowing for those pieces to be removed and discarded in order to begin to prepare the place it occupied for fresh growth.

The hammer on the stone produces some "heat" with each blow.  It is perhaps the influence of this "heat" which gets the stone to the point of beginning to yield to the blows.  A sledge hammer applies force - it is the force which begins the process of changing the consistency of what it touches.  If you know anything about using a sledge hammer, you know it is the weight of the hammer which is used to produce the force.  God's Word is a "weighty" thing in his hand!  It is by the strength of his hand and the force of his Word we are changed - our places of our most stubborn resistance are broken into manageable pieces until they no longer find a suitable place of dwelling in us any longer.  

Fire or hammer - either way, the effects are similar.  The Word embraced becomes the basis of change.  Embrace it quickly and we see the effect of its influence almost immediately in our lives.  Exert a little stubborn resistance to its influence and we might just need a little more heat or a few more blows.  Just sayin!

Given full rein?

If you have ever ridden a horse, you know the importance of the reins.  They let you direct the horse, don't they?  At least, this is what those who told me how to ride instructed me!  Heaven knows, I have had some opportunities to ride some of the most stubborn horses!  No matter how hard I pulled the reins a certain direction....there was no turning them from their destination!  Now, tell me, what was the purpose of the reins with these horses?  I think it was nothing more than decoration!


"But my people didn't listen, Israel paid no attention; so I let go of the reins and told them, 'Run! Do it your own way!'"  (Psalm 81:11-12 The Message)


All I could do with those horses was to "give them the reins" and let them lead where they wanted.  As you may very well imagine - it was right back to the barn!  They did not want to take me down the trail, but wanted a leisurely afternoon enjoying oats and the shade of the barn!  Imagine that!  Sound like anyone you might know?  I know God has tried to tug on my reins a few times, facing nothing more than my resistance to be "turned" down the trail he desired.  In the end, he gave me the reins to head for "greener pastures" as I saw them.  


Guess what the outcome of my resisting the leading of God was?  Yep, you guessed it - the pastures turned out to be fields of nothing more than briers and thorns!  Isn't it amazing how strong-willed we can be?  We put up all kinds of fight - then end up calling out to God to get us out of the briers!  


From our passage today, I think we can glean a few lessons of the "prodigal":


- The first failure is in not listening.  The lady who taught me to ride when I was in Girl Scouts actually told me I'd never have to whip the horse.  She told me to speak to the horse, or use some little click of my mouth.  Now, try as I might, no amount of sweet talking my stubborn horse did any good.  The more I talked, the more he looked at me like I was goofy!  The silly part of this was my believing the horse CARED about what I was asking it to do!  In truth, he cared no more about going down the trail on the trail ride than he did about how the stock market was performing that day!


Now, let's examine ourselves.  I wonder just how much we are like the horse - hearing, but not really listening.  In fact, we just don't care about what God is asking - simply because we have our own agenda, or our "selective hearing" turned on.  When this is the case, we usually end up with a little "heel digging" going on, don't we?  We dig in, no matter how sweetly God urges us onward.  Okay, true confessions - I actually used tears on the horse to see if I could appeal to some sense in him!  It did not work.  God isn't like us - he doesn't try to manipulate us with tears - he simply asks and then waits.  If we care to listen - we enjoy the ride.  If we don't - well....


- The other failure is in choosing to do our own thing.  When God gives us the reins, he is actually allowing us to do our own thing - choose our own way - even when he knows it will leave us hurt or longing.  When we give full rein to something, we are letting our imagination or feelings develop in an uncontrolled way - a very unreliable way to operate.  God's choice in giving us full rein is to allow us to realize the futility of our rebellion.  


The stubborn horse did indeed return to the barn, but not until after about 30 minutes of digging in his heels and refusing to move beyond the first 100 feet of the corral.  But...he did not get the oats!  Instead, the owner put him in the corral with the others.  We often set out to get our own way, in belief we will realize a certain end, then find ourselves poorly disappointed with the outcome.  Truth is, there is no good thing guaranteed to anyone who takes the reins of control out of the hands of God!


So, learn from me, if you will.  Reins serve a purpose - to control the direction and lead down certain paths.  Giving full rein to the one resisting the reins is usually not going to turn out well!  I have seen riders so in connection with their horses making reins really unnecessary to use very much.  The rider and horse just seem to understand the destination.  There was a bond and a trust relationship between the two.  I think we need the reins less and less as we develop the connection with God.  In time, we begin to sense his leading, not so much by the tug of the reins, but by the subtle movement of his hand, the simplicity of a word from his lips, and the gentleness of his touch.  Here's to not being given full rein!

Throw him in!

God never ceases to amaze me with the many and varied ways he uses to get the message of his power and protection across to his creation.  We often don't realize the means God will use until we look back "after the fact" and realize how much God was displaying his power AND his protection in our lives.  It is in the "hindsight" which revelation occurs.

¹⁴ Then they prayed to God, "O God! Don't let us drown because of this man's life, and don't blame us for his death. You are God. Do what you think is best."  ¹⁵ They took Jonah and threw him overboard. Immediately the sea was quieted down.  ¹⁶ The sailors were impressed, no longer terrified by the sea, but in awe of God. They worshiped God, offered a sacrifice, and made vows.  (Jonah 1:14-16 The Message)

The seas are out of control.  The sailors, all skilled in their task of steering and controlling the ship, tried desperately to return to shore.  They had "discussed" their circumstances with Jonah, being told by him that he was clearly the "cause" of their present danger.  Yet, they choose to attempt any other alternative than what he proposed.  His proposal - throw me into the sea.  I don't know about you, but I have been asked a few time to "throw someone under the bus", but I find the internal struggle with this whole concept just a little unnerving!

In all their efforts to escape whatever calamity awaited them if they remained in the storm, they return to Jonah one more time.  His answer is the same - throw me overboard.  Not exactly the answer I am sure they hoped for.  They are in a quandary and the only option they have is to PRAY!!!  Imagine that!  So, they turn to the one they "think" might be willing to listen - the God of Jonah.  After all, it his God which is responsible for the sea's upheaval - at least according to Jonah.  

Let's see their prayer a little closer.  First - they turn to the God they really don't serve, but who seems to be in control of their present situation.  Even in Jonah's running away from God, God is using him to touch the lives of people!  How is it God can use even our disobedience to speak to the lives of others?  I don't really fathom how he does it, but I see it recorded for me over and over in scripture - so I believe it!  

Second, they still don't want to throw their newest acquaintance overboard, but he seems to insist.  So, they seek to be forgiven even before they take their next step.  Jonah could have said, just turn the ship around, I am heading for Ninevah.  It is quite possible his repentance could have calmed the seas.  Nope, he insists they throw him into the crashing waves.  Why do we find our rebellion such a stronghold?  I don't imagine Jonah is alone in his "firmness" of rebellion.  In our rebellion - we don't see any way of escape but to be consumed by that which is a result of our rebellion!

Last, but not least, they trust Jonah's God to do what "he thinks best".  Heathen men, praying to the divine God of the Universe, trust him to "do what he thinks best"!  Now, isn't this awesome? God immediately calms the seas and they all stand on the deck of the ship, totally amazed at the power of Jonah's God.  I wonder how many actually had the seed of salvation "planted" that day?  The power of God on display - the hearts of men changed forever!

I don't encourage our rebellion, but I am encouraged God can use even our rebellion as an instrument of grace in the life of another.  In the openness about my own rebellion (running from God), others have been touched by the grace of God.  I can only imagine how many times God has used our "cumulative" rebellion!  We cannot lose sight of what comes next - the sea does not consume Jonah.  Here's our hope - our sin may get us into some pretty wicked messes, but it need not consume us!  In our rebellion, God even provides for OUR protection!  Run as we might, God still watches over us!  Thank you, Lord!