Since I have been revisiting the story of Jonah, I find that there is a lot of Jonah in me. I’ll explain as I move on. But first, we need to get this out of the way. The story of Jonah is a true story. That is, there really was a man named Jonah who really did flee to Tarshish, who really was swallowed whole by a great fish, who really did survive for three days in the fish’s belly, and who actually was vomited up on dry ground. It’s all true, just the way it was written. It’s not a myth or a legend or a saga or a fable or a parable. Jonah is a true story. We can date the book at about 765 B.C. during the days of Jeroboam II, king of Israel.
Not only is Jonah a true story, but it is also a short one. Only four chapters, 48 verses, just over 1300 words. You can read it in 15 minutes. Yet it tells us all we need to know. Beautifully balanced, deep and profound, this book opens a window into the grace of God and the selfishness of man.
Jonah is also a sobering story. Most of us, if we are honest, have taken a ship to Tarshish at one time or another. In other words, we all know what it means to run from God in the other opposite direction. And we know how creative the Lord can be when he wants to bring us back to where we ought to be.
Looking for a simple outline? Try this:
Chapter 1: Jonah flees.
Chapter 2: Jonah prays.
Chapter 3: Jonah preaches.
Chapter 4: Jonah pouts.
In chapter 1 Jonah is running from God; in chapter 2 he is praying to God; in chapter 3 he is speaking for God; in chapter 4 he is learning about God.
When you think about the content of each of these chapters, you will discover that each one flows into a next step. For example, when I find myself “fleeing from God,” I also find myself most certainly praying, “God help me out of this mess! I repent! I surrender!” Then the next step is I go do what God had commanded me to do in the first place. I am not very thrilled doing so, but anything is better than being in the belly of a fish, know what I mean? Then when God blesses by working His will through me, I become despondent because someone I did not care for just got blessed by God. Yes, you can call me, Jonah. Therefore, one of the key principles in the story of Jonah is our need to turn back to God during such times and make repentance count.
A remorseful man, wanting to reassure his skeptical wife, said: "I'm going to make a 360-degree turn."
David Jeremiah writes: "That's the kind of change a lot of people make. A 360-degree turn is no change at all. What we need is a 180-degree change, a reverse direction, a U-Turn.
"In driving, U-turns are handy when we realize we're going in the wrong way. The same is true in life. The Lord tells us to turn from our wicked ways and to turn toward Him in confession and true repentance. This involves a change of heart, a change of mind and a change of direction.”
You all probably remember the classic PEANUTS situation between Charlie Brown and Lucy.
Over and over again, Lucy would offer to hold the football while Charlie Brown kicked it. But time and time again, as he ran up to kick the ball, Lucy would pull it away, and Charlie Brown would fly into the air and land flat on his back.
One day, Lucy offered to hold the football again, Charlie Brown declined saying he knows how it always goes, and he does not want it to happen again. As soon as he accused Lucy of her past wrongs, she began weeping, “Oh, you’re so right. I admit that in the past I’ve played cruel tricks on you. But I’ve seen the error of my ways. I’ve seen the hurt in your eyes. Won’t you give this poor repentant girl another chance?”
Charlie Brown said, “Okay.” So he backed up, ran up to the ball, and just as he was about to kick it, Lucy pulled the ball away. Once again Charlie Brown ended up on his back.
As Lucy walked away, she commented to a friend, “Unfortunately, recognizing your faults and actually changing your ways are two different things.”
God is not for half-hearted repentance. But how many times have you said, “I’ll quit smoking,” but still continued, only after a short time of quitting? How many times have you said to your spouse, “I am so sorry for hitting you? I don’t know what came over me. I promise never to do it again.” And then within a few weeks after you have had too much to drink, your wife is wearing a shiner!
This is why God did not simply release Jonah from the belly of the fish sooner. God wanted him to stay put in order to really think about his next move. God wanted to be sure that when Jonah got released, his repentance would be genuine.
Now is the time to ask, “Why am I still suffering from this bondage?” Could it be that God knows your heart and that you have not come to the place in your life where you are truly repentant? Not only is there a little Jonah in all of us, but there is also a little bit of Lucy in us as well.
End of Part 2 – More to follow
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
“Hello, You Can Call Me Jonah" Part 1
Salvation is of the Lord – Jonah 2:9
French philosopher Pascal once said: “To make a man a saint, grace is absolutely necessary. And whoever doubts it does not know what a saint is or what a man is.”
Some years ago Philip Yancey wrote a mega-bestseller called, “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” in which he called grace “the last great word.” He meant that it is one of the last of the “great words” that has retained some of its original meaning: “free and undeserved bounty.” For instance, when we pray, we “say grace” to thank God for our food. We are “grateful” for a kindness done by another person. To show our thanks we offer a “gratuity.” Something offered at no cost is said to be “gratis.” And when we have overdue books from the library, we may return them at no charge during a “grace period.”
It is commonly said that Christianity is by and large a religion of grace. And that is certainly true. We sing about grace, we write poems about grace, we name our churches and our children after grace. If we were to be asked, we certainly would affirm our belief in grace, but outside of our worship services, the word grace is rarely on our lips.
Yancey points out that part of our problem is in the nature of grace itself. Grace is hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive. We all have a certain skepticism when a telemarketer tells us, “I’m not trying to sell you anything. I just want to offer you a free trip to Hawaii.” Automatically we wonder, “What’s the catch?” because we have all been taught that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch." Grace is hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive.
Yancey goes on to say that grace shocks us in what it offers. It is truly not of this world. It frightens us with what it does for sinners. Grace teaches us that God does for others what we would never do for them. We would save the not-so-bad. But God starts with prostitutes and then works downward from there. Grace is a gift that costs everything to the giver and nothing to the receiver. It is given to those who don’t deserve it, barely recognize it, and hardly appreciate it.
As I thought about this, I was hit with the realization that God is so much more gracious than I am. Why? Because He saves people I wouldn’t save if I were God. He blesses people I wouldn’t bless if I were God. He uses people I wouldn’t use if I were God.
Heck, it is a good thing I am not God! The Bible says that He is “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness," (Exodus 34:6) and that’s good news for sinners just like me everywhere.
Although the doctrine of grace is easy to understand, it may be the hardest doctrine in the Bible to accept. It’s not that we do not know what the word means. Our problem comes in the application. Grace asks us to accept two things we don’t want to accept:
1. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves.
Note: Now that I am single, I am beginning to understand the single mindset a little better, but I am most certainly in the growing and learning stages. I know many single people, some quite well. And if there is one thing each of them (and me) has in common to some degree it is this: “I don’t need your help. I can manage on my own.”
Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a put down on those who are single. Married couples too have this trait as well. Although I do not have a lot of experience being single, I do have a lot of experience having been married to the same woman for twenty-eight years before God took her to glory. I can tell you this: Grace for a married person in some ways is much easier to accept than it is for someone who is single. When I was married, forgiveness and acceptance came often and freely. It wasn’t something you took time to study. You just did it, especially if you are a pastor and a pastor’s wife and you knew that in a couple of days or so you will be together around people so you better shape up and get your act together.
With forgiveness came also understanding and total acceptance. And the reason is clear: Because you had a marriage covenant in the presence of God, therefore, there were no other option but to go forward, forgive, accept, love and grow. But in singleness, there is no relationship covenant one is bound to till death do you part, so the stakes are not as high.
You see, there are two things that single people have a hard time doing (I am going to make my single friends upset with me right about now): First, they have a hard time accepting help or better yet, charity. Second, they have even a harder time giving it away freely – to people who are close to them. It is easier for a single person to give grace way to strangers or acquaintances, then to one particular person.
I have found this out about myself while married. It was easier for me and my wife to give grace away freely to each other, then it was for us to give it away to strangers. But single people can give grace away much easier to strangers.
For example. One morning I took a picture of a homeless man sleeping on a mattress across the road where I live. I sent the picture to a single person. This person received the picture and while on the way to work, stopped to buy the man breakfast and something to drink. To this single person, giving away grace to a stranger was easy and second nature. But the thought never really occurred to me. I was blessed and challenged by the thought and action of kindness. I am more predisposed to giving away grace to those who are close to me, than to those whom are strangers.
But here is the deal: Whether one is married or single, God’s grace is totally sufficient, right? We all have much room to grow within the context God has placed us in.
2. If God doesn’t save, no one will never be saved.
Nothing more clearly summarizes the true meaning of grace than the simple phrase found Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of the Lord."
This statement is both striking and humorous because it comes from the world’s worst missionary. When I read through the Book of Jonah, one thing clearly stands out: Jonah is not the hero of the story. God is! At the beginning he is running from God; at the end he is arguing with God. In between he is praying and preaching. He is certainly no hero.
The book of Jonah is all about God. For example:
The fish is mentioned 4 times.
The Nineveh is mentioned 9 times.
Jonah is mentioned 18 times.
God is mentioned 38 times.
This book is about God and how great his heart is toward those who cannot save themselves and who spend their time trying to do the impossible – run from Him! The bottom line: There’s a little Jonah in all of us and a whole lot of Jonah in most of us.
That’s why we need not only to believe in God’s grace, but to really accept it. It seems so outrageous to be given so much that’s free of charge from a God who loves each of us unconditionally. But that’s grace – yes, God’s grace. We want to work for it. In some way, pay God back by serving harder, longer, and wearing more hats around church. We try to fast, discipline ourselves by going without something we enjoy, spending less and living very modestly. We end up in some ways punishing ourselves in order to make ourselves feel a lot better for receiving God’s free supply of grace gifts.
End of Part 1 – More to come.
French philosopher Pascal once said: “To make a man a saint, grace is absolutely necessary. And whoever doubts it does not know what a saint is or what a man is.”
Some years ago Philip Yancey wrote a mega-bestseller called, “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” in which he called grace “the last great word.” He meant that it is one of the last of the “great words” that has retained some of its original meaning: “free and undeserved bounty.” For instance, when we pray, we “say grace” to thank God for our food. We are “grateful” for a kindness done by another person. To show our thanks we offer a “gratuity.” Something offered at no cost is said to be “gratis.” And when we have overdue books from the library, we may return them at no charge during a “grace period.”
It is commonly said that Christianity is by and large a religion of grace. And that is certainly true. We sing about grace, we write poems about grace, we name our churches and our children after grace. If we were to be asked, we certainly would affirm our belief in grace, but outside of our worship services, the word grace is rarely on our lips.
Yancey points out that part of our problem is in the nature of grace itself. Grace is hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive. We all have a certain skepticism when a telemarketer tells us, “I’m not trying to sell you anything. I just want to offer you a free trip to Hawaii.” Automatically we wonder, “What’s the catch?” because we have all been taught that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch." Grace is hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive.
Yancey goes on to say that grace shocks us in what it offers. It is truly not of this world. It frightens us with what it does for sinners. Grace teaches us that God does for others what we would never do for them. We would save the not-so-bad. But God starts with prostitutes and then works downward from there. Grace is a gift that costs everything to the giver and nothing to the receiver. It is given to those who don’t deserve it, barely recognize it, and hardly appreciate it.
As I thought about this, I was hit with the realization that God is so much more gracious than I am. Why? Because He saves people I wouldn’t save if I were God. He blesses people I wouldn’t bless if I were God. He uses people I wouldn’t use if I were God.
Heck, it is a good thing I am not God! The Bible says that He is “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness," (Exodus 34:6) and that’s good news for sinners just like me everywhere.
Although the doctrine of grace is easy to understand, it may be the hardest doctrine in the Bible to accept. It’s not that we do not know what the word means. Our problem comes in the application. Grace asks us to accept two things we don’t want to accept:
1. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves.
Note: Now that I am single, I am beginning to understand the single mindset a little better, but I am most certainly in the growing and learning stages. I know many single people, some quite well. And if there is one thing each of them (and me) has in common to some degree it is this: “I don’t need your help. I can manage on my own.”
Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a put down on those who are single. Married couples too have this trait as well. Although I do not have a lot of experience being single, I do have a lot of experience having been married to the same woman for twenty-eight years before God took her to glory. I can tell you this: Grace for a married person in some ways is much easier to accept than it is for someone who is single. When I was married, forgiveness and acceptance came often and freely. It wasn’t something you took time to study. You just did it, especially if you are a pastor and a pastor’s wife and you knew that in a couple of days or so you will be together around people so you better shape up and get your act together.
With forgiveness came also understanding and total acceptance. And the reason is clear: Because you had a marriage covenant in the presence of God, therefore, there were no other option but to go forward, forgive, accept, love and grow. But in singleness, there is no relationship covenant one is bound to till death do you part, so the stakes are not as high.
You see, there are two things that single people have a hard time doing (I am going to make my single friends upset with me right about now): First, they have a hard time accepting help or better yet, charity. Second, they have even a harder time giving it away freely – to people who are close to them. It is easier for a single person to give grace way to strangers or acquaintances, then to one particular person.
I have found this out about myself while married. It was easier for me and my wife to give grace away freely to each other, then it was for us to give it away to strangers. But single people can give grace away much easier to strangers.
For example. One morning I took a picture of a homeless man sleeping on a mattress across the road where I live. I sent the picture to a single person. This person received the picture and while on the way to work, stopped to buy the man breakfast and something to drink. To this single person, giving away grace to a stranger was easy and second nature. But the thought never really occurred to me. I was blessed and challenged by the thought and action of kindness. I am more predisposed to giving away grace to those who are close to me, than to those whom are strangers.
But here is the deal: Whether one is married or single, God’s grace is totally sufficient, right? We all have much room to grow within the context God has placed us in.
2. If God doesn’t save, no one will never be saved.
Nothing more clearly summarizes the true meaning of grace than the simple phrase found Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of the Lord."
This statement is both striking and humorous because it comes from the world’s worst missionary. When I read through the Book of Jonah, one thing clearly stands out: Jonah is not the hero of the story. God is! At the beginning he is running from God; at the end he is arguing with God. In between he is praying and preaching. He is certainly no hero.
The book of Jonah is all about God. For example:
The fish is mentioned 4 times.
The Nineveh is mentioned 9 times.
Jonah is mentioned 18 times.
God is mentioned 38 times.
This book is about God and how great his heart is toward those who cannot save themselves and who spend their time trying to do the impossible – run from Him! The bottom line: There’s a little Jonah in all of us and a whole lot of Jonah in most of us.
That’s why we need not only to believe in God’s grace, but to really accept it. It seems so outrageous to be given so much that’s free of charge from a God who loves each of us unconditionally. But that’s grace – yes, God’s grace. We want to work for it. In some way, pay God back by serving harder, longer, and wearing more hats around church. We try to fast, discipline ourselves by going without something we enjoy, spending less and living very modestly. We end up in some ways punishing ourselves in order to make ourselves feel a lot better for receiving God’s free supply of grace gifts.
End of Part 1 – More to come.
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