Who Are They Going To Call?

 

But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.  So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.

Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them.  But Jonah had gone down below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. 

So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping?  Get up, call on your god.  Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.”

Jonah 1:3-6

Under appreciated.  Made fun of.  Punchline of a joke.  Left out.  

As Christians we sometimes get no respect by those outside of the faith, but when things get tough, who are they going to call?  Who do they ask for help?  Who offers hope that perhaps things are not as bad as they seem?  

We are not called to judge others, but to help others.  When those outside the faith are in need of encouragement, we are to offer it.  

When things get tough, even those farthest from God, warm to the idea of a God who cares for them.

Don't underestimate the power of your testimony and the calling of God to do something.  Be ready.

Prayer changes things.

The Easy Way Or The Right Way

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.  And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 

And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

Luke 4:1-4

 

Jesus faced temptation just like we do.  He was hungry and He was taunted by Satan to perform a miracle for His own benefit - and He declined to do so.

When we are having a tough time, taking the easy way out looks good.  Easy does not mean right and we need to consider whether the easy way will make things better or worse, and whether the easy way lines up with the teachings of the Bible.  Doing the easy thing to avoid the consequences of doing the right thing is not right.   

Doing what is right is not a matter of us being comfortable.  It is a matter of following the teachings of Jesus and trusting God.  

Jesus Came For Everyone

 

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:11-13

The Bible is clear on this point: Jesus came for everyone. God does not refuse anyone who comes to Him.  

Ask Jesus to come into your life today. He is waiting for you.

Minister First

 

When they (Jesus and His disciples) had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore.

When they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, and ran about that whole country and began to carry here and there on their pallets those who were sick to the place they heard He was.

Wherever He entered villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the market places, and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured.

Mark 6:53-56

Is this a picture of how Christians should be perceived or what?

Jesus and the disciples were not seen as hypocrites or judgmental or holier than thou. The people of Gennesaret saw them as being sent by God to minister to their needs and to heal the sick. And, Jesus and the disciples did just that.

When we minister first to the needs of people, we open their hearts to hear the Gospel.

God Reveals Himself To All

 

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Romans 1:18-20

Our God is not some scrap of metal or rock which can be hidden in a secret place. Our God is everywhere, and He says, “Look at Me and all I have done and all I am doing.”

God has liberally made His power and presence known to man since the beginning of time through His creations in the natural world. God not only made the trees and flowers, He also made lightening. He so shaped humans that they have the capacity to learn and understand and feel compassion for one another. Even the worst humans, have these innate qualities. And because of these qualities, all men and women are exposed to the truth of God, which they may embrace or deny.

The denial of the truth does not make the truth any less the truth.

And therefore, God is right in His judgment that those who deny His existence are without excuse.

Praying and Believing

 

And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him. Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”

Mark 11:22-24

Some people see this scripture as name it and claim it faith - that is God is a vending machine that we put our prayer into and out pops the answer we want.  But I don't think that is what this is saying.  I believe God is saying that what we ask we will receive - but He is not promising us that it will be what we expect. 

We are assured that God hears and answers our prayers.  God will answer us.  Sometimes the answer we receive may not be what we think we prayed for, but God reads our prayers and needs differently than what we do.  

God is continuously looking out for us.  He sees beyond our needs at the moment to what will happen next.  While we are impatient, He is patiently weighing what is best for us.  

We pray believing God will answer and we are sure the answer will be that which is the best outcome.

Keep praying, keep believing, God is on your side. 

Just What We Need Is a Blessing

 

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

1 Timothy 6:6-8

The Apostles suffered for their faith and ministry.  They were jailed and all but John, the Beloved, were martyred.

I think that is why Timothy wrote this, because he came to realize that the best of times were those times when he had just what he needed to survive - food and clothing and shelter.  It was in these times that they were able to go about ministering, healing the sick and preaching the Gospel.  They were not looking to become wealthy, but to live holy lives and serve God.

I think that we too can aspire to this - not that we will be poor - but to realize having what we need is a true blessing from God.