There's a Bit of Jonah in All of Us

Have you ever found your heart full of resentment towards another individual or group of people? Have you ever resented blessings coming to those who have hurt you and find it hard to truly be happy for them? Then you have a bit of Jonah inside of you.
Jonah was a prophet of the Lord. His God given mission was to preach to the city of Ninevah so that they would repent. The only problem was that Jonah harbored a deep resentment for the Assyrians of Ninevah due to the atrocities they had caused using brute force. They were the epitome of evil, in Jonah's mind, and he didn't feel that they deserved God's love and mercy. So instead of obeying God's mission, Jonah decided to make a run for it: Jonah 1:3 ~ "But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish." (For those who don't know, Tarshish is in the complete opposite direction of Ninevah. It would be like heading to New York City from Denver, instead of going to Los Angeles.) Jonah soon learned that fleeing from the Lord is cowardly and impossible, and that his decision greatly impacted many around him.
The ship that Jonah boarded to take to Tarshish soon encountered a great storm, which instilled fear in the sailors onboard. They started crying out to their false gods for help, but soon cast lots to determine why such a calamity had arisen. Only then did Jonah speak up in Jonah 1:12 ~ "'Pick me up and throw me into the sea,' he replied, 'and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." It is interesting to see that once Jonah realizes that he has caused distress in others that he chooses to alleviate it. This is the first time his conscience sensed that maybe what he was doing was wrong. The irony, as stated in the notes from my Life Application Study Bible, was that he was trying to seek God's love while running from it at the same time. Essentially, "if you want more of God's love and power, you must be willing to carry out the responsibilities he gives you." Jonah finally took some responsibility in Jonah 1:15-16, which demonstrates the lengths he was willing to go to in order to spare the sailors from the storm: "Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him." The lesson that can be gained from this is the fact that "God is able to use even our mistakes to help others come to know him."
What happened next to Jonah is what he is most known for; he got swallowed by a great fish and was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17). This verse provides some foreshadowing to when Jesus will spend three days in the center of the earth before being resurrected. Jesus actually makes reference to this verse in Matthew 12:40, stating the aforementioned foreshadowing in response to the Pharisees asking for a sign from the Lord.
While inside the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord to give thanks for being spared from the raging waters. Deep inside his heart, Jonah knew that God had shown him mercy and he was very grateful. It's while he was within the belly of the fish that Jonah realized that he must obey the Lord and repent for not following through in the mission to preach to the city of Ninevah. Upon hearing Jonah's repentance, "The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up on dry land" (Jonah 2:10). We often have similar revelations when we suffer hardships. We immediately call upon the Lord to repent for our lack of trust, once we realize that that is why we have ended up in a particular predicament. The best thing we can do in storms, and even in the good times, is holdfast to the Lord. He has the authority over all circumstances and can have us placed in the correct spot on our journey through life if we decide to relinquish our desire for control. Allow yourself to be puked back up on dry land to continue God's mission for your life.
Once Jonah was back on dry land and given a second chance, he obeyed the word from God to go preach in Ninevah (Jonah 3:1-3). After a days journey into Ninevah, he declared that the city would be overthrown in forty days (Jonah 3:4). The Lord wants his Word preached to everybody, even to the most evil people on the face of the earth. We shouldn't allow our fear of people get in the way of sharing the most important Truth with others. Through Jonah's presentation of God's Word, the people of Ninevah repented and were spared God's wrath (Jonah 3:10). As stated in the notes from my Life Application Study Bible, "Ninevah's repentance stood in stark contrast to Israel's stubbornness. The people of Israel had heard many messages from the prophets, but they refused to repent. The people of Ninevah only needed to hear God's message once." We must always remember to not just listen to the Word of God, but to repent and try to refine our way of life to meet Christ's standards. Without doing so, we are merely fooling ourselves into a life of complacency when we are meant to live a life of devotion to the Lord.
Instead of being joyful over the repentance of Ninevah, Jonah decided to sulk and be angry (Jonah 4:1-2). Luckily for Jonah, the Lord remained patient with his anger and chose to teach Jonah a lesson instead of bearing down with wrath. The Lord provided a plant to give shade to Jonah, but caused it to wither the next day (Jonah 4:6-7). This was to teach Jonah about how the Lord shows mercy to all, not just the chosen people of Israel and how it is wrong to be angry when evil people, like the people of Ninevah, receive mercy and forgiveness after repenting to the Lord.
In the same way, we must not let our emotions dictate who we share the Word of God with. God wants everyone to be saved and to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." We often get angry when God showers mercy on those we resent, but we must not focus on our own foolish desires and hatred. We must make the choice to be concerned about the salvation of every human being on this earth and not refuse to share the Gospel with certain people just because we feel they are unworthy, or because our sinful nature is holding a grudge. Try your best to quell the Jonah inside of you in order to fulfill God's purpose in your life.

Refreshed!

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." ~Hebrews 10:25

"Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people; praise his holy name." ~Psalm 30:4

Yesterday was thoroughly refreshing for me. In church, members spoke about how God had blessed them throughout the year and expressed why they were thankful. During the afternoon, I came across new songs by the band The City Harmonic. I purchased some of these songs and the lyrics really spoke to me. The song "I Have a Dream (It Feels Like Home)" has these lines:

O we will meet

Our souls are longing 

We'll be a symphony of peace

Brothers and sisters will be free

Thank God Almighty they'll be free

It is awesome to look forward to what we have waiting for us in heaven, and this song does a great job expressing that fact. 

The song "Spark" has these lines: 

Could a spark of Your love light the whole church on fire

When we care for our neighbor
More than we care for style
When we breathe in
Hope we breathe in
Create some meaning God
When we breathe out
Peace will breathe out
Just to breathe out love

I love how God's love is expressed in terms of being a spark because that's all that is needed to ignite something really great. It makes me think of forest fires that can consume acres upon acres of land from just one match spark. The immensity of God's love and how it envelopes us is just amazing.

The song "Mountaintop" reminds us that God saved us from this lowly world using the lines, The valley low that's where we'll make our homes, but this I know that's what He saved us from. We forget our great potential for settling in the valleys of life. We need to charge up the hills to the mountaintop where we belong to proclaiming the glory of God. 

The last song that I bought was called "Wake Me Up." The following lines are my favorite:

How long, how long will the river run dry
Cause I'm so busy living I forgot to be alive...

Cause when You sound You bring to life
Even my darkest of nights
Wake me up to shine...

Yeah, I've come home like a prodigal son
If home's where the heart is that is in the hands of God
And that is just where my heart belongs
Turn on the light, come on wake me up

I really like how this song reflects how much God longs for us to come back to Him. We must escape our little worlds and remember to live for the Lord. He is the source of all light in our lives and we must desire for Him to wake us up to the life we were meant to live.

In the evening, I met with a friend for frappucinos and discussed life, baking, and foreign accents. Definitely a friendship that will strengthen with time because we each know that God blessed us with the timing of us becoming friends. This was followed by Bible Study in Coopersburg, which is just a great place to have fellowship with other believers. We had a teaching from Matthew 9, which was very enlightening. My favorite part of the evening, though, was the lengthy conversations. I talked with numerous people about varying topics, but the best conversations were those that got me to think deeper. I hardly ever get to have deep theological discussions with anyone anymore for various reasons, and it was great to be able to sit and talk about different theological ideas, and also how current events could impact the church. Two Penn State students home on break explained the impact of the scandal and how outsiders perceive it in such a different light. We also discussed the possible implications it could have on youth group attendance for the area because people may begin to question the safety, all because of a scandal on the other side of the state. Other concepts, such as how to have righteous anger and maintain the compassion of Christ, anti-Baptist theology and what to have assurance in, oral tradition vs. historical accuracy and believing the Word of God over archaeological discoveries made by humans, being weary of allegorical meanings within Scripture, and the impact of pantheists were all discussed amongst a handful of us who stayed late. I was very intrigued by all of the topics and the questions that were asked to expand upon particular ideas. It was definitely a refreshing evening with fellow believers that I desperately needed and am quite thankful for, even though I didn't get home until 1:30am. In my mind, it was totally worth it.

Abandon Worldy Living and Live for Jesus

How many times have you heard someone say they will kick their bad habits tomorrow? Or they promise to start improving their lifestyle in the morning? As a recent college graduate, I have spent evenings with friends at bars or parties and the next morning, after they suffer from a horrible hangover, listened to them declare that they will never drink again. Then of course the next weekend comes and I come to find out that they went out and got drunk all over again. It's sad that people don't keep their word, but it's even sadder that they choose to not put the effort in to change their bad habits that they clearly know are bad.
When we were all born into this world, we were born into a sinful lifestyle; one that does not respect or honor God. We have the ability to choose: God or Satan's world? This choice has to be a proactive one, though. We cannot just say, "I believe in God," and let it stop there. We need to completely reinvent ourselves in order to be more Christlike. Once you decide to be born not of this world, but of Christ, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness," according to Romans 6:18. Instead of allowing sin to have control of your heart and life, allow God to change it so that you are remodelled closer to the image of Christ. By renewing yourself, you become more capable of doing God's work here on Earth. This is in line with the thinking in Ephesians 2:10, which declares, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
While here on Earth, we are not to live for ourselves, but for God. Once we are set free from sin because we realize what Jesus sacrificed for us on the cross, we should have this overwhelming desire to promote the goodness of the Lord to all people in order to bear fruit. Our good works cannot save us because we are saved by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8), but we should always be trying to live for God so that others can be drawn closer to Him when they see His light shining through us. We need to remember that we are not our own. We are here to live for Christ, but it is your decision on how well you are used. 2 Timothy 2:20-21 states, "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special uses and some are for common use. Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." From this passage, one should grasp that they can either be special or common. I bet most would desire to be special, but that requires more work. One must consciously work to rid blatant sin from their lives in order to be the best use to the Lord. As a born again, He will use you no matter what, but your effectiveness on others will be limited if you are still caught up in blatant sin. God warns us in 1 Peter 2:15-16 to not abuse our freedom in Him: "For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves."
Many might feel that it is hard to avoid blatant sins, and I would have to agree with them. Any bad habit or addiction is hard to crack. I personally have a bit of a caffeine addiction that I am determined to break, so I have stopped drinking Pepsi in order to improve my health. It definitely has not been easy because I have had to deal with withdrawal headaches, but I am determined to kick the habit. The easiest way for me to do this is to just avoid all Pepsi products to reduce the temptation. This is the exact same way someone should approach dealing with blatant sin in their lives: avoidance. 2 Timothy 2:22-24 recommends we, "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." Avoiding the evil desires of youth will help you reduce the blatant sin in your life. Also, by avoiding arguments and foolish quarrels, the respect people have for you will slowly grow. This can be used as a teaching tool because if someone asks about your self control, you can share with them about Jesus. Avoiding quarrels also helps you live out the following proverb: Proverbs 12:18 ~ "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." By ending up in fruitless quarrels, you end up cutting down the other person, which highlights your sinful nature. By demonstrating restraint and avoidance of quarrels, you appear wise, which can be attributed to living your life for Christ. The teachings of Christ always bring healing to people's hearts because everybody needs a Savior.
My recommendation to you is to put effort into avoiding blatant sin in order to live your life for Christ. Try your best to share the Word with someone everyday in order to guide them to the Lord. This does not have to be a deep theological discussion. It can be a passing comment like, "God blessed us with a beautiful day," or, "Yes, I attend church on Sunday." Have the courage to express your faith in order to evangelize to others because that is why we are here as slaves to God and righteousness. We must share the Good News with all so that they too might be saved. The beauty of this is that you can start in your hometown. There is no need to go to another state or country. You can minister to those you work with, go to school with, or those who serve you coffee. The world is your mission field and it is up to you when to demonstrate your courage and live for Christ by sharing the Word.

Seek God's Wisdom in Times of Turmoil: Gaining Discernment and Guarding Your Heart After or From Betrayal

Betrayal is always hard to swallow. Anger and panic tend to ensue when we choose to live in our flesh, as opposed to turning to God. And even when we pray for understanding and forgiveness, it can be hard to get rid of the bitter taste left behind in our mouths. King David speaks of the pain endured when facing betrayal. Some believe that Psalm 55:12-14 mirrors the betrayal Jesus felt when Judas turned him over to the authorities. This passage states, "If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God."
Our first instinct might be to harden our hearts towards whoever has betrayed us. This never solves anything and only harms your peace of mind in the long run. Immediate forgiveness also is not a smart route because it does not allow for complete healing internally. One can claim to have forgiven someone, but if anger and bitterness are still anchored in their heart, true forgiveness and healing have not taken place.
I found some intriguing words from Reverend Douglas Showalter on this topic. In an article entitled Forgiveness: Through Gritted Teeth or a Journey of the Heart?, he speaks about how many feel it is their "Christian duty" to forgive others quickly. The following is his response to this misconception:
"I ask you: aren't there times when you and I have the intense heat of coals burning within us? Someone deeply wrongs us or betrays us, and suddenly a coal fire is ignited within us. Our chests burn with pain, with anger, and sometimes even with the desire to get revenge: to hurt the one who has hurt us--or our loved ones--so wrongly. Fiery red coals burn within us. But then we are told, by a well-meaning friend--or our own guilty conscience--that to be a good Christian, we must always forgive quickly and completely. We Christians often assume it's a law of our faith--virtually carved in stone--that we should always forgive quickly. But let me ask you, have you ever tried to put out a coal fire quickly? It usually can't be done. Oh yes, one can dump buckets of water in a hot cast-iron stove, and likely see the stove itself break up. But short of that, it takes time for burning coals to be extinguished. And so I think it is after a serious injury: I think it usually takes time for our pain, anger, and any ill will we may feel, to be extinguished. For like fiery red coals, our deeply negative feelings rarely go out in an instant--just because we want them to. Usually, it takes time to be rid of these things. In fact, it takes a process of inner healing--and such healing cannot be rushed."
We are called to maintain unity with fellow Christians, so reconciliation after forgiveness is the best policy in the long run. That does not mean that a relationship will be normalized overnight. It takes time to mend from betrayal and this process must not be forced or expedited. In my opinion, one should never rush into forgiveness. It'll take patience to move past the awkward stages when you first encounter those who have hurt you in the past, but with some conscious effort, one day things will be okay again. Much like a crumpled piece of paper, it takes time to iron out all of the creases.
During these times, it is best to seek discernment from God's Word in order to protect oneself from future betrayal, and also to determine how to respond to one who has betrayed you. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life." This bit of wisdom suggests that we should not rush into matters of the heart, whether it is an intimate relationship with the opposite sex or a new friendship. Other advice on this matter can be found within Proverbs 12:26 ~ "A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." I believe these proverbs can also be applied to friendships that one already holds. You might be called to re-evaluate the impact that certain individuals have on your life and how they shape you. God has a purpose for each person He brings into your life, but you must pray for discernment in order for that purpose to be revealed to you.
God also warns us to be discerning when we encounter the following types of individuals: false friends and those of poor character. In order to protect our hearts, we must become acutely aware of these two types of individuals. The first that I am going to address is the false friend. These individuals feign interest in your life and put on a really good act of compassion, but it is only for their own gain. These individuals believe that they can use you at their own convenience and see no harm in doing so because they are unaware of anybody else's happiness or well-being. They prey on people to meet their own needs and then move on once they are satisfied. In the long run, the whole friendship is just a fallacy. The Book of Psalms warns us to be on the lookout for such individuals. Psalm 28:3 states, "Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts" while Psalm 55:21 puts it this way: "His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords."

Individuals of poor character can also impact our lives in a negative fashion if we don't protect ourselves. We can easily be lead astray by those individuals that we strive to be friends with because they appear to be popular in society. Little do we realize that these people travel the wide path to destruction, rather than the narrow path that leads to life. That is why Proverbs 13:20 says, "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." I'm not saying that you should avoid certain people in society, but I am suggesting that you maintain your morals and judgement when difficult situations arise with these people. They will most likely pressure you into trying things that make you uncomfortable. Anybody who does that really does not have your best interests in mind. If they make it seem like you won't be cool or won't be accepted by them, it might be best to just walk away. Try not to fall for these traps because, as 1 Corinthians 15:33 states, "Do not be misled:'Bad company corrupts good character." The longer you remain in the company of these individuals, the more you will turn into them if you are not discerning, for we all try to emulate our friends or supposed friends. In the end, be sure to pray to the Lord to seek His wisdom and guidance in all situations in order to protect your heart and determine what people should be a part of your life.

Shine Brilliantly

I am not sure who wrote the following article, other than it being a woman from Sullivan County, NY. It was in the local newspaper and my mother was kind enough to pass it along to me in the mail.

"I have read that the most precious and expensive jewels are displayed against a backdrop of black material so that when light shines upon them they appear to shine most brilliantly. They are best showcased in darkness.
Many times we may feel plunged into darkness as we experience the trials and tribulations, the sorrows and suffering and pain of life. I'm sure that's how Job must have felt. He was a very wealthy man who was God-fearing, upright and blameless. He suddenly lost everything he had - his ten children, his numerous herds, and finally his health. His wealth was reduced to nothing, and as he sat in the ash heap nursing his wounds, the darkness was closing in.
But Job knew God would never forsake him, and he continued to talk to Him about what was happening. He says in Job 23:17, 'Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.'
He came to the conclusion that, 'when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.' (Job 23:10).
When precious jewels are displayed in darkness, a light shines above them, causing them to shine and sparkle more brightly. When we find ourselves enveloped in darkness, we must keep our focus on the Lord, our source of light. If we look away, all will remain dark. But as we look to the light, we shine more brightly as God's light is reflected in us.
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts...we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:6-9).
The darkness that God allows in our lives to showcase us in not an evil that will ultimately destroy us, but a darkness in which we may draw attention to the light within and let God shine through us. When the darkness has finished its work, we will come forth as gold. If we do not fight against the darkness, but learn from it and let God work in and through us, it will be removed when it has completed its purpose.
Job remained faithful to the Lord during this time of great darkness, even defending God to others. When the time was complete, Job had a better understanding of who God was and God removed the darkness.
All was restored to Job, and even multiplied. He had ten more children, and his herds and wealth were doubled. 'The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first' (Job 42:12). Never give up on God, no matter how dark things look. He is faithful to see us through."

Perspective to be Grateful

In this era of the Occupy Wall Street campaign, I feel that many people have lost perspective on what they do have. Instead, they tend to focus on what they don't have and then decide to use the world as their sounding board. They forget to listen to the words found in Philippians 4:6, which says, "Do not be anxious about anything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Whatever happened to enjoying the little things in life? Why must we constantly belittle people with our rants that are self-focused? When did you need the best of everything in order to be happy? Our happiness should be within us because we have the Holy Spirit, not found in some material object or in having the most friends. Popularity never works and tends to backfire. As Aristotle once said, "A friend to all is a friend to none."
So instead of dwelling on what you don't have, focus on what you do have. I am thankful for loving parents, my generous brother, a great friendship with my roommate, the cutest kitty ever, an apartment to live in, a car to drive, electronic devices to help me communicate in this digital age, food to eat, clean water for a shower, clothing to wear, the ability to read, my health, blankets to keep me warm, the opportunity to gain a Masters degree in exercise science, the ability to exercise, etc. I'm sure I could go on and on, but then this blog post would turn into a novel. So I challenge you to make note of the blessings in your life instead of the shortcomings and either right them down on a piece of paper for yourself, or feel free to live a list in the comments of this post. I guarantee you will be able to come up with more to be thankful for than things to complain about.