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Running to or from purpose…God still can

Micah 6:8 (AMP) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), and to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?

I am not one who watches the news. I do have somewhat of idea of what is going on with the world, but I do not want to be consumed with it. There are those who have it on quite a bit of their day and to me they do not have that joy, peace and love that God tells us we can have an abundance of. What I have seen lately is the unrest and protests in France. The cause of it and the reason for it I cannot know for certain. I do see some showing it is a protest of students. Some show it is a takeover by immigrants. Whatever it is, we must pray for both sides. Those beautiful building I had hoped to see one day in person are in ruin, but the people there are more important.

God has a heart for people, whether they worship Him or not. There is only one way to the Father (our God) and that is through Jesus (John 14:6). We are to pray for all people. God has a heart for all people.

2 Timothy 2:1-4 (AMP) First of all, then, I urge that petitions (specific requests), prayers, intercessions (prayers for others) and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all people, for kings and all who are in [positions of] high authority, so that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This [kind of praying] is good and acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wishes all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge and recognition of the [divine] truth.

What would a good Sunday school be like if no one told the story of Jonah and the whale? I love the Veggie Tales movie they put together about Jonah. The pirates that don’t do anything song is one of my favorites. Jonah is a minor prophet in the Old Testament. The book is only four chapters, so it is a pretty easy read. It starts off, “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim [judgment] against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah ran away to Tarshish to escape from the presence of the Lord [and his duty as His prophet].” (Jonah 1:1-3) Jonah ran away from the presence of the Lord. It was not just the message; it was who God is that Jonah ran away from.

Why Jonah? God knew Jonah would run. He knew Jonah’s heart and his contempt for the people of Nineveh. Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, showed nothing but hostility toward Judah and Israel. According to the book of Jonah, it had about 120,000 inhabitants (Jonah 4:11). It was a polytheistic nation, worshipping idols and many gods. Jonah’s flight was no surprise to God—He knew Jonah would end up in the belly of the fish. In fact, God was counting on it.

There is the importance of that fish. One, it was a place for Jonah to contemplate God. Jonah confessed his transgressions against God and vowed to do as God asked. “But [as for me], I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I shall pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is from the Lord!” So the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. (Jonah 2:9-10) Second, it reveals a type and shadow of Christ, Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three day and three nights. Jesus was in the grave for how long? Third, God knew who they would listen to and how. Jonah was spit out on the shores of Nineveh, who also worshipped a false god called Dagon. This was depicted as half fish and half man. Those shores were not empty, they saw a man coming out of a fish’s mouth. When the word of the Lord came, they listened and took it to heart.

Jonah 4:1-2 (AMP) But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still in my country? That is why I ran to Tarshish, because I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness, and [when sinners turn to You] You revoke the [sentence of] disaster [against them].

It was not according to the heart of Jonah; it was the heart of God that they repented. God is gracious, compassionate and great in lovingkindness. No one is too far gone for God. As long as they have breath in their lungs there is hope. Love always hopes. They can be so far from God that He sends a runner to fulfill His purpose.

Provers 22:6 (AMP) Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Luke 15:20 (AMP) So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

There is so much we can learn of the heart of our God if we would just get in His Word. People can run from His Presence, but He still calls out to them. The Holy Spirit draws us close. I raised two good boys. They have both ran from God. Both attend church. One I know is not living with God right now. He may live in our home, and we raised him up showing him a life of faith in Jesus. He is friends with the world right now. Do you know what we do? We love him. We do not reject him. We do not exclude him. We might not agree with everything he does or the people he chooses to be around, but we know that the Word has been planted. Running is not a departure. Love always hopes. Who knows what will happen and who he will bring back with him. Who knows the people he will be able to reach because of compassion and mercy. Yes, we serve a just God, but we are not at the judgement seat yet. Love always hopes and looks ahead.

Do not have a heart towards sinners (people) like Jonah. Jonah did not want to see them forgiven. His story ends on a cliff hanger. We know that Ninevah was overtaken by the Babylonians and was never to rise up again. They held off on destruction once, but it did not last because their hearts changed back to their old ways. That is the ways God does. He is a God of second chances. His lovingkindness lasts forever. Love always hopes.

Colossians 3:12-14 (AMP) So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]; bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive. Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others].

These are the qualities I want to maintain, and if I pay attention to outside sources, I might be influenced in how I choose to dress. I want to have a heart of compassion, kindness, humility and gentleness. Patience is like a muscle that needs exercise (cultivating the fruit of the Spirit), and if I let Him, He will shape me to endure whatever comes my way with a positive attitude. Unselfish love does not seek my benefit; it lays it down even when I do not understand. Love prays for those that may not deserve it. It is not up to us who get for the forgiveness of God. Woe is me if I try to play the judge, and woe is me if I don’t want someone to have a second or third chance. Love always hopes.

Abba, Father, our Banner, You are Mighty and Wonderful. Holy is Your Name and Holy are Your Ways. Thank You for Your Son, our Restorer. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, our Counselor. Thank You for being the God of second chances. We repent for standing in the place of judge to decide who You should forgive or not. Our job it to pray, love, have compassion and forgive. Let us grasp a hold of what Your redeeming love really is. Thank You for never giving up on us when we ran. Thank You for having purpose in us even when we did not deserve it. Your ways are better than our ways. Forgive us for trying to explain things we have no way of understanding yet. We put our trust in You. May Your will be done, not ours. We pray for every parodical right now. We are not giving up on the promise. Thank You for growing patience in us as we maintain good attitudes in the waiting. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Why is my neck so stiff?

2 Chronicles 30:8 (AMP)  Now do not stiffen your neck [becoming obstinate] like your fathers, but yield to the Lord and come to His sanctuary which He has sanctified and set apart forever, and serve the Lord your God, so that His burning anger will turn away from you.

Stiff necked really got my attention. My body takes the brunt of stress. Some areas I have felt it is in my lower back, but lately it has been the right side of my neck. Which makes it really hard to look for other cars to change lanes. I have to turn my whole upper body. Yesterday I was able to move my neck fluidly with ease and it was wonderful. Then I remembered the position of peace that I have been in lately. That happens when thanksgiving is what you think of more and you count it all as joy.

2 Chronicles 24:19 (AMP) Yet God sent prophets among them to bring them back to the Lord; these prophets testified against them, but they would not listen.

What happens when we start allowing the Word to do the work in and through us? “For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)” My mind is the gateway to my soul. My soul is what needs to be renewed daily. My mind will affect my heart, my attitude and eventually my body (3 John 1:2). I have to remain teachable. I have to put myself in a position to be challenged so that I can continue to grow. Part of this cultivating that God is doing takes change within us (1 Corinthians 3:9).

The Israelites were God’s chosen people. What happened to them when they would not listen? They started losing wars. They would have tribes captured. They even fought amongst each other. We are also called God’s chosen people.

Colossians 3:12-14 (AMP) So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper]; bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive. Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others]. 

Colossians 3:12-14 (MSG) So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

As God’s chosen people we need to be wearing the wardrobe that sets us apart. I talked about wardrobe on Sunday. How we dress reflects how we feel about ourselves, whether you want to admit it or not. We can be defensive and say it does not matter how I dress; God loves me for who I am. That is true, but do you love yourself? One of the biggest signs that we set the standards in our lives and not God is being defensive. Which is another way of nicely saying living in offense. That is what I thought about when I read the “stiff necked people.” I really did an inward look at myself. I do not want to live in a way that I am looking only at what offends me. Worry is the reason for my stiff neck, and it is offensive to God. Which means I need to be putting on another fresh garment of love.

Seeking God as my vital necessity is the quickest way to put on the right set of clothes. What we wear is important to God. He tells us to put on the garment of love. This is not some love power that the enemy has twisted. This is a garment that we never have to worry about outgrowing, actually, we get to grown more into it. It will never be out of style.

What if what I choose to be offended at stops the growth in the lives of the people I love? Or even myself? So, ask yourself, am I wearing the right garment? Yielding to the Lord is not a bad thing, it a place of strength. Going back into the opening verse, come to the sanctuary that He has sanctified and set apart forever. He is talking about His chosen people. We are the temple (together as a body) being built up in unity for His glory. A unified temple cannot stand if it is filled with strife and offense. I have to take those garments off and put on the garment of love. It will work on that stiff neck and move the way God created it to.

Abba, Father, my Adonai, You are so Marvelous and Wonderful. Your Holiness cannot be compared. You set all of creation in motion and we cannot help to speak of Your Goodness and Mercy. Your Loving Kindness is the Banner over us. Thank You for Your Son, to be the Restorer of our Purpose. Thank You for the Holy Spirit to be the Comforter, Teacher and Cultivator. We take Your Word as Truth and we worship You in Spirit and Truth. Let nothing we do be looked at as mere lip service, but You have searched the deep things in our lives. We repent for putting on garments that we were no longer to wear, such as offense, strife and selfishness. We repent for putting on the garments of worry. All of those result in a stiffness and rigidity that keeps Your temple (Your body) from unity and glorifying You. We are choosing to clothe ourselves in Your perfect Love. We are choosing to forgive freely. We are choosing to walk in Your Peace and Joy. We desire You as our vital necessity. In Jesus Name, Amen.