Every Sunday evening, I’ll post a new scripture for us to memorize.

Romans 11:34-36
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

1. White Chocolate Mocha
2. Caramel Macchiato
3. Tuxedo Mocha
4. Vanilla Bean Frappuccino
5. Pike’s Place Drip Coffee

A Little Jonah In All Of Us

Last night, we began walking through the book of Jonah with our high school students!

While the legacy of Jonah’s life involves him RUNNING from God and not being quick to obey God, his story strikes closer to home than many of us want to believe.  God’s message to Jonah at this particular time was simple, “Go to Nineveh and announce God’s judgment against it due to their wickedness.”  Rather than follow God’s command, Jonah found a ship and went the opposite direction.

What was Jonah thinking?
Why would Jonah think running from God was a good thing?
What an idiot?
I would have never made such a bonehead move!!
HA!!

Those are just a few of the questions that have flooded my mind in regards to Jonah and his poor choices.  But, after looking deeper into the life, into the story, into the narrative of Jonah, I found that this decision was not as simple as it might seem.

Nineveh! Nineveh is not just any city, it was the capital of the Assyrian Empire.  The Assyrian Empire is not just an ole empire, they were the foremost enemy of the Israelites at this time.  God’s command was to send an Israelite into the enemies territory and tell them how bad they are and that the God of the Israelites is going to judge them for their wickedness!

But that wasn’t enough.  The Assyrian Empire had the reputation of being the big bully, of torturing and overtaking anyone of their choosing.  At times, if it was merely rumored that the Assyrians were coming to your town, the unfortunate people within the town would orchestrate a mass suicide to avoid the humility and torture that the Assyrians would bring.

The Assyrian Empire was an extremely wicked empire.

And Nineveh, the chosen destination for our Jonah, was the capital of this wicked empire.

For all we know, Jonah’s fleeing from God’s command could have been based upon past encounters with this empire.  He very likely could have lost a family member or friend at the hands of the Assyrian Empire; fueling a deep seated hatred towards this people group.

Jonah, after hearing God’s command, decided that he knew best what to do.
Jonah, after hearing God speak into his life, decided that on this specific occasion, God’s command was merely a suggestion.

Just like God spoke into the life of Jonah, He is constantly speaking into our lives as well.  The Psalmist David reminds us that God’s thoughts and ideas for OUR LIFE outnumber the sand on the sea shore… God thinks about us, dreams about what could be, and challenges us regularly with his thoughts.  God speaks directly into our hearts with truth.

But- sometimes, the word God has for us doesn’t make since in our life, or might simply be something we that we have absolutely no desire to see accomplished.

God speaks into our friendships, our habits, our family, our relationships, our future, our EVERYTHING!!

But rather than trust God that HE knows best, it is easier for us to trust our own intuition.  God sees the whole picture in context- we see simply the here and now.  God’s hopes and dreams for each and everyone of us is not to make this life difficult and miserable, rather to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Yet, we often find a little bit of Jonah in ourselves.

Jonah’s known for running from God, for fleeing from God.  When faced with a scenario that did not make since, when faced with a choice that potentially could bring harm to his life, Jonah did what almost any of us would do, he ran the opposite direction.

Let me contend with you, as we take on this new year, God has an incredible Word, an incredible challenge for you in 2012.  God’s challenge for you might not make sense in the here and now, but as we trust God and follow his direction in our life, we will truly see that God does know best!!

So Question to think about— What is it that God is asking of you? What is God saying to your heart of hearts?? Will you TRUST Him or will you run??

]]> http://ttocsj.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/a-little-jonah-in-all-of-us/feed/ 0 ttocsj add_toon_info http://ttocsj.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/scripture-memorization-jan-01/ http://ttocsj.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/scripture-memorization-jan-01/#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:39 +0000 ttocsj http://ttocsj.wordpress.com/?p=258 ]]> Scripture Memory Challenge
Week of January 01

Happy New Year!!

Every Sunday evening, I’ll post a new scripture for us to memorize.

Luke 9:23
“Then he said to them all:
‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross daily and follow me.’”

With every new year, we find ourselves making resolutions, pseudo-commitments if you will, that will absolutely make us healthier, wiser, more spiritual if completed.  But rather than than boosting our morale, they simply beat us down and prove our inability to persevere.

So, with that being said, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Dr. Harry Piland, a former pastor and seminary professor, once put together a list of things he would do differently if he was given a mulligan at life and got to start his ministry over from the beginning.  I took his list, and rather than saying would, I made it an active goal for the coming year…

1. I will spend more time with great men and women of God.
2. I will spend more time with the Lord in prayer and Bible Study.
3. I will spend more time with my family, take a regular day off and take my vacation.
4. I will put people ahead of process and programs.
5. I will make love my guideline in building relationships. The greatest force in the world is love.
6. I will learn the lesson of the towel and use it as a leader.
7. I will seek to maintain personal integrity no matter what!
8. I will lift up evangelism as the priority of the church.
9. I will absolutely build teams.
10. I will take care of my body, mind & soul.
11. I will never give up!
12. I will trust the Father.

Wishing you a happy new year! May we, together, make 2012 a year of significant growth: spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally!

Let’s look back at what we have memorized:

• Psalm 119:11
• Galatians 2:20
• Ephesians 2:8-10
• Hebrews 11:6
• Isaiah 9:6

Keep it up- remain steadfast in your love for scripture and your memorization of it!!!

It is obvious that you have a gift, maybe not to drive… but to sing. Its soo obvious, it just naturally comes alive as you nod your head while dancing away in your seat belt… not to mention the rich cadence created by the swerving of your car over the rumble strips. Remarkable.

But one word of advice. Concerts are better suited for the RIGHT LANE than the left lane! For only in the right lane is it is a true treat for each and every passerby, rather than bringing a scowl to the face of each and every tailgater.

Signed,
Your #1 fan

Here are a few of the most popular blog entries from this past year. I hope you enjoy.

1. It’s Just A Bracelet 
2. Do You Know Where Your Wife Is?
3. Friday Five: Books
4. Silence the Questions
5. The Be’s Of Ephesians

I hope You have a very Merry Christmas!!

Isaiah 9:6
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

1. Facebook/Twitter :keeping up with social media on my phone– a good thing and a bad thing!)
2. Pandora : Explosions in the Sky is my favorite station.
3. Radio Aggieland: Aggie Sports Talk Radio, streaming live to my phone. Best thing since sliced break!
4. the Bible App: YouVersion rocked it- now a completely searchable Bible is at my fingertips!
5. Starbucks Mobile Card: Don’t knock it- every time you use this app you get stars, the more stars the more rewards!! I’m almost to Gold Status!

Are there any apps that have revolutionized your life??