Jonah 2:3

“I cried out in my affliction to the Lord, my God,
And He heard my voice;
Out of the belly of Hades, You heard the cry of my voice.”

Encouraging Words…

You can run, but you cannot hide from the presence of our God. We so often flee from Him because we know what He wants us to do. And no matter how far from Him we think we are we are still just as close as we were when we started. And this is a good thing, because the farther from Him that we try to be, the more we need Him. The wonderful thing is that once we realize what we have done, the sin that we have committed, we can cry out to Him and He will hear us and restore us. Glory be to God!

Galatians 1:10

For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Personal Challenge…

Is the gospel that we are preaching truly from God or something that is used to please men? Has our practice of worship shifted from the true worship of the living God to revelry, entertainment, and partying that tickles the ears of men and women? As bondservants of Christ we must be doing all, especially our worship, with the purpose of glorifying God and not just with the focus of attracting people to come to the party. If the party is all that they come for then they will leave when their ears are no longer being tickled. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-9

But though a righteous man may die before his time,
He shall be at rest.
For old age is not honored for its length of existence,
Nor measured by its number of years;
But discernment is gray hair for mankind,

Titus 3:1-2

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.

Personal Challenge…

So often we claim that we do not know what God wants us to do with our lives. This passage makes it very clear. If we choose to live this way we will be doing exactly what God wants…glorifying Him, pointing the lost to Him, proclaiming His love for all of mankind. Glory be to God!

Psalm 56:3-4 (55:4-5 LXX)

I will not fear by day,
But I will hope in You.
I will praise God with my words all day long;
In God I hope; I will not be afraid; what will flesh do to me?

Personal Challenge…

Do we really live our lives out practicing our faith in God? Do we worry about things? Things of this world? Things related to the future? Do we hold on to the things of the past…or worse yet let them hold on to us? Our God holds eternity; past, present, and future, in the palm of His hand. If He is truly our Lord then we can go throughout the day without fear because our hope is in Him. We can praise Him with every breath, because He is God. No one, or no thing, can harm us. Glory be to God!

Psalm 84:11-12 (83:12-13 LXX)

For the Lord God loves mercy and truth;
He will give grace and glory;
The Lord’s hand will not remove good things from those who walk in innocence.
O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who hopes in You.

Encouraging Words…

Our God does not have unrealistic rules and expectations for us. He does not want us to hate and even sometimes kill those who do not believe in Him. To the contrary He wants us to love them. He does not demand tithes, offerings, and sacrifices. To the contrary He asks for us to give Him our hearts. He desires that we pass on His mercy, grace, and truth to those whom we come into contact with. He wants us to put our hope, our complete hope, in Him. Glory be to God!

Psalm 84:1-2 (83:2-3 LXX)

How beloved are Your dwellings, O Lord of hosts.
My soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh greatly rejoice in the living God.

Personal Challenge…

Does my soul long and faint for the courts of the Lord or am I content with where I am in this world? Does my heart and flesh greatly rejoice in the living God or do I rejoice in the things that I have in this world? I am supposed to be living my life as a sojourner in this physical world. My true home, my true citizenship, is in God’s kingdom. Do I live my life this way? Can those around me see that I am a foreigner in their land? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Ephesians 4:29

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.