Run Jonah, Run!

Have you ever been asked or even told to do something but you were reluctant to do it?  If yes, why?  It might be that we are reluctant for fear that we will fail.  Maybe we lack confidence.  Or, maybe we don’t want to work with certain people because of past issues.  There are a variety of reasons why we are reluctant to take on a new job, begin a new relationship, start a conversation, teach a class, share our faith, say no, say yes, go on a date, ride in an airplane.  Whatever the reason, being reluctant is crippling.

There is this guy by the name of Jonah in the Old Testament who had to deal with his own reluctant issues.  Jonah was given a task by God to go to a city called Nineveh to deal with the issues and down right wickedness. (Jonah 1:1-2) 

Just who are these people God is sending Jonah to talk to about their wicked behavior? They weren’t your monastery kind of people; rather, they were thugs, liars, haters, and rejecters of God and murders!  It was their policy to never keep their prisoner of war alive.  While holding the victim down, they would pull out their tongue.  For some, they would skin their victims alive.  They would take the human skulls of their prisoners and build pyramids outside of the conquered city. 

I can’t say emphatically that I would be jumping for joy to get the assignment to go and talk to a group of people with a reputation of ruthless murders and terror tactics that gave the Ninevite regime a name to be feared.  I can see why Jonah was so reluctant; his life is in jeopardy.

As crazy as the people were about ruthless living, God was as crazy about his people and if they would turn away from their wicked ways, God would demonstrate his grace and mercy and love on them and embrace them as if there was never a problem in the first place.  God has crazy love for his people and desires to have a close-knit relationship with each of us.  Part of Jonas issue about going to Nineveh was the fact that he knows how God would respond to a people who would turn away from their sins and accept God’s ways. Jonah did not want Nineveh to get one ounce of God’s grace and mercy.  They didn’t deserve it.

 Because of Jonah’s reluctance, the Scripture says, “Jonah ran away from the Lord….”  (Jonah 1:3)   One of the key strategies of a reluctant person is to run away from the problem, issue, relationship, or whatever the circumstances are in order to avoid facing the problem that has a grip on them. 

For many believers in Christ, there is a reluctance to teach for fear they do not know enough.  There is a fear to share their faith, for fear they will get rejected. There is a fear to speak in a public gathering for fear they will not know what to say or forget what they want to say.  There are a variety of reluctant reasons people have for not getting more involved in the different aspects of the church ministries. 

I am reluctant to climb a ladder because I am afraid of heights.  However, in order for me to over come my fear, I have to face it head on. The more we do, the less reluctant we are about doing it and the more confident we become in our relationships, speaking, teaching, sharing our faith, or whatever we have been reluctant about. 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian  

A Walk with God

The Apostle Paul in 1^st Timothy 4:7&8 tells the young preacher,“…train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”  (NLT)

What does it mean to be godly? 

Often I’ve heard it said at funerals of the one being remembered, “she was a godly lady.”  What made her a godly lady?  Was it because she attended church gatherings or read her bible?  Was it because she never cursed?  Maybe it was the kindness she had showed toward others?  Or, could it have been that she was a person who truly followed God and allowed him to lead her life in every way?

In Genesis 5:21-24, Moses describes a guy by the name of Enoch as one who walked with God.  The bible says that he lived 365 years and then God took him away.  The statement, “walked with God” is a powerful one.  How does one walk with God?

When I joined the Army, I had to attend basic training.  It was intense in every aspect.  Though it was basic, it taught us the fundamentals of walking in step with the values of the United States Army.  To veer off of those values meant disciplinary action or a dishonorable discharge.  The training was valuable to every soldier serving the United States.  If one could not be trusted to carrying out the values of the Army, then it puts the entire nation in jeopardy.  Training in loyalty, honor, duty, integrity, respect, selfless service, and personal courage are vital in walking in step with the Army values.

Walking with God is key to developing the godliness God desires.  Without the walk, there are no training opportunities to know how God wants us to live.  Enoch’s walk made headlines in the faith chapter of Hebrews 11.  The Scripture says, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away.  For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.”  Hebrews 11:5 (NIV)

Enoch did two things:  He walked with God and He pleased God.  Godliness is walking and pleasing God.  God wants to walk with us and he desires for each of us to live in his ways, not the worlds.  Paul said in his own defense in Galatians 1:10, “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (NLT)  Paul’s values were God’s values.  He wasn’t concerned about being politically correct or ensuring his popularity was intact, rather he was concerned that the gospel of Jesus was being lived out in his life daily and others were able to see it in him God’s values in his walk and in his messages.   

The Apostle Paul writes another message to a younger generation preacher by saying, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”  Godly living is saying YES to a self-controlled life and modeling a spiritual character that conveys to the world that God values are leading our lives, not the latest fads of what is socially accepted.

The Apostle Peter declares that Jesus is coming without warning and the earth will be destroyed. Peter then asked a question in 1^st Peter 3:11, “What kind of people ought you be?  He answers his own questions by saying, “to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God.” Peter is saying that godly living means prepping oneself for the day of the Lord.  The way one does that is by walking, pleasing and living out God’s values that the Spirit enables us to do in Galatians 5:22-24, “But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely… Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.” (The Message)

Walking, pleasing and living out God’s values are key to being godly.  In the pursuit of being godly, here are five ways each of us can be successful in godly living: 

Train your mind to be godly; not worldly:  Colossians 3:1-10, "...set your minds on things above...."  What areas in your life needs to be spiritually worked out?

Keep focused on Jesus, not on self:  Hebrews 12:1-2, "...throw off everything that hinders us...fix our eyes on Jesus...."  How does focus help keep you spiritually fit?

Prayer and positive thinking will help during the long walks:  Philippians 4:4-9, "...in everything, by prayer...think about such things...." Are you more negative or positive?  Why?

Kick the bad habits:  Galatians 2:17-21, "...I no longer live, but Christ lives in me...."  How does Jesus and Spirit help keep the bad habits from coming back?

Be around motivators, not grouches:  Hebrews 10:23-25, "...let us consider how we may spur one another...let us encourage one another...."  On a scale of 1(low)-10 (high) how much does encouragement help you in your life?  Spiritual life?

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Tips for a Godly Lifestyle

First Thessalonians five gives practical principles for living the Jesus life.  No one can live effectively without values to guide them.  The following are key elements in the believer’s life that demonstrate a godly life and the ability to build relationships with others more effectively.

Be an encourager (5:11)  “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up….” Nehemiah was a great example of building on the positive qualities in a person’s life.  In Nehemiah 3:20, “Baruch was noted for his zealous work.”  It is vital to praise and recognize the hard work and the committed lifestyle of all believers. 

Respect the leaders (5:12 & 13)  “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.”  It is one thing to disagree with a leader, but it is another to blatantly disregard or criticize the leadership of the church.  Paul says in I Timothy 5:17 that the “elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor….” 

Warn the idle (5:14)  “And we urge you, brother, warn those who are idle….” Statistically, the work of the church is done by 10% of the entire church family.    Proverbs 19:15 says that “laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.”  Without the help of every believer, the work of the church takes longer to do, more souls are lost because we do not have the time to evangelize them, and those who are working get tired and become very discouraged.   Take Paul’s warning and get involved.

Encourage the timid (5:14) The Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines timid as one who lacks courage or self-confidence.  Elijah was a prophet for God who stood up against 450 prophets of the idol Baal.  It was that confidence, determination, and faith that gave him victory.  For Elijah, his victory was short lived, his confidence was shattered, and his determination to proclaim God’s message was quenched because of his fear of Queen Jezebel.  The queen was enraged at Elijah for killing her prophets because she relied on them.  The Bible says in I Kings 19:3 that “Elijah was afraid (timid) and ran for his life….” Elijah looked at his circumstances rather than keeping his faith in God.  It is vitally important that when we face the Jezebel’s in our life, we remember that God will never leave us.  He is at our side and pouring on the courage to stand firm.  

Help the weak (5:14) We all have weak moments at some point in our lives.  This is not the time to criticize our spiritual family when they are having a weak moment. Rather, it is a time we rally around them to give support and prayers. 

Be Patient (5:14) Patience is a Spirit fruit that is produce in those who allow the Spirit to do what that Spirit is supposed to do, indwell and produce.  I know folks who have a short “fuse” life.  If it is not right, or they move too slowly, they blow their inner fuse.  Paul is saying to have a long fuse mentality.  Allow some time to cool off.  Be patient!

Don’t be revengeful (5:15) Don’t be scheming up some plan to get even with those who do you wrong; rather, try to find ways of doing good.  This is not an easy task.  It takes patience, prayer, and determination to do good when bad had been done. 

Be joyful always (5:16) James 1:2 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”  Paul and James are giving practical advice on how our attitudes should be in the mist of difficult circumstances.  A positive outlook puts a negative situation into a learning opportunity.  Joy happens because the trial didn’t defeat us; rather it strengthened our resolve to stay focused and God-led.

Pray always (5:17) Someone once said, “Seven prayer-less days makes one WEAK!” It has also been said, “A home that prays together, stays together.”  Prayer is the resource that everyone needs to tap into more and more each day.  Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”  All Jeremiah had to do was call God.  No long-distance to worry about.  No busy signal to deal with.  No lost connection to hinder the call.  All we have to do is call.  Prayer is the key to handling problems, hardships, and/or sufferings.  Without prayer, our life is hopelessly lost.  Go ahead, pick up the phone and dial J-E-R-3-3-3 today and receive your free conversation with God.  God is standing by! Make that call right now!

Remember, Be God Controlled!