Finding Nineveh is a commentary about the prophet Jonah intertwined with the journey of Jennifer Williams: Me! Along the way, everyone who reads will learn primarily what it means to Surrender it all to Jesus and that God really is Good all the time!! Hopefully all those who read will learn as I am still learning that God is completely trustworthy and worth every minute of our struggle in letting go of all control into His hands. The end is always beautiful for we serve a perfect King!!
Jesus was talking to Saul in this passage, later we know him as Paul, and reveals to us that Jesus is at work after the cross, wanting all darkness eradicated...!!! A lot of us believe that Jesus came to take our sins away, but after that we tend to have nothing else to define the Christ by in our hearts and minds! In fact, we act like after His time on earth we
Feel like that was His part of the story... end of book!! We forget that He too has no beginning and He too is actively saving us still, and He too is light as being God’s word!! He breaks into our darkness and is the truth, the light and there is still no way to the father but through Him! The light of your world today is Jesus and He still saves, still reveals and still brings our lives into the light!!! Go bask in Jesus today!! He’s full of light that shatters your darkest hours of confusion! Jesus saves us from sin, but the Bible teaches that He also saves us from darkness! Walk in His light!!
Thursday, October 25, 2018
God lives in unapproachable light....
God shares with us in His perfect word, a little about Himself,
1 Timothy 6:16New International Version (NIV)
16" who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen."
Strangely, we are told to come boldly before God's throne and to live as children of light, but does light blind?? If God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all, we should be very attracted to that reality...!!! However, are you ready? Am I? Today...are you living in sin? ARe you able to approach his glory..?? Oddly enough, we find that most christians claim not to want to go to heaven because of the world that they will leave behind!!! Maybe the light of God is blinding??? Maybe ???? Ha!! For sure, the light of God is toooo much to take!! Go to heaven? Yes, okay and go blind!! Or is there another reality that we fail to consider as often as we should?? Perhaps the blood of Jesus and the beautiful refining of the Holy Spirit are not optional choices for us? Your thoughts? Can we live without the other two members of the Holy trinity and just take God and all that terrific light? Or, do we need to get comfortable with the work of Jesus on the cross...LOL more than just on Easter Sunday and do we need to get comfortable with the refining work of the Holy Spirit that searches the deep things of God...?? Have a blessed day and if you're willing...ask the Holy Spirit to come search your heart.... God
So we like just enough light to stop needing it!! That’s the problem!! We need God as an all consuming fire
but we only want just enough to get by with our human plans and pathways! Is that you today? Don’t settle for a human made God that gives just enough light!! Rather go for the maker of light!! 1 John 1:5 “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all!!!!” No darkness? Is that your life? No darkness? Better go get the only one, wise, true God, maker of heaven and earth! FYI....If you think this picture gives light, even with all the clouds in the way...you might want to adjust your eyes..stop playing with shadows and dare to dream about the real picture!!
Life is funny, but I'm not laughing right now!! When I'm surrounded by darkness, it's so not funny that it's my fault!! I'm fumbling around in the darkness, stubbing my toes and hurting my elbow and getting very bruised and confused, when I don't have to stay in the dark!! God? Might I have a match to shatter this darkness that is wrecking my day? Oh!! all of you readers thought that I meant God is a matchmaker like where he set up two people for marital bliss? Ha!! Well, He's that too I suppose!! LOL! God holds all the matches we need to shatter the darkness in our lives. Just ask him for a match and he will light up your life. Don't wait!! God is your light and your torch to light the way...I don't want to start my day without his guiding fire, do you? More on this light tomorrow...
Revelation 21:23New International Version (NIV)
23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of Godgives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Has anyone ever accused you of anything that was let's say, "not an accurate representation of, you?" Did anyone you know ever just get it all wrong about you? Well, if you are breathing, and I hope you are because only alive readers are welcome on this blog, then you have had someone get "you" all wrong!! Well, not only do I think that we get, Jonah...all wrong....!! But, I know that the whole world got "Christ" all wrong when they sent Him to His death on a cross! Okay...so..there is a Scripture that says,
Matthew 5:10-12New International Version (NIV)
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Well, the problem with the text is that most of the time...I'll be accused of something that is not true and it's not because I'm a Christian...LOL! I'll definitely face persecutions from time to time for being like Christ, but what about when someone just doesn't get "me"..misunderstands me...and then accuses me of something? Well, maybe these situations are opportunities to expose the darkness in others? Maybe our false accusations are amazing gateways of hope for those who don't live by His power. After all, if God knows the truth about me, then who cares if another misunderstands me? So, by the comfort God brings me by knowing me, I can rise above the accusation so that it's true when the bible says,
Psalm 56:10-12New International Version (NIV)
10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise— 11 in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?
12 I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you.
And also, when the Scripture says,
Romans 8:30-32New International Version (NIV)
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
More Than Conquerors
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
The Accusations hurt...but the Comfort from our Saviour Heals....Helps and then brings Hope that never disappoints...
Principle...If you are Hurting today because someone hurt you whose hope has slack, Trusting in God, let His faithfulness give hope right back!!!
Please enjoy this song as we celebrate Black Friday...We had it all wrong...and Those Nails were ours...not His...that shame was mine, not my Lord's, but He did it anyway to bring the hope back to me.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Interestingly, God created the earth with darkness present...and the Spirit of God was always there....hovering..hovering over the waters...the creation, the light and the darkness....always, always there...!!! Sometimes, we seem to struggle with this thing called, "darkness"! Oh!....Woe is me!...How could a God of Love allow there to be darkness???? Oh...all this questioning reminds me of Jonah! "God", Jonah cried into the night, "how could you allow the Assyrians to live?...How could you allow that infestation of blackest night and ever present dark, disdainful, dismally, dreary death survive long enough to even contemplate your ever present light?" "Oh Jonah!!!" God answers back with love and understanding, "Jonah, Jonah, Jonah, oh son of Ammitai...why can you not be a son of God who understands the roll darkness must play in all of our pursuits of the light of salvation?"
Jonah 1New International Version (NIV)
Jonah Flees From the Lord
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.
In many ways..we head away from the "so-called" darkness and miss the light altogether....
Principle...when the darkest hour pans out to be no fun...we find ourselves on the run..
When the light of God is the goal we seek...we spend our darkest hours on our knees...
To behold the light of God, there are some dark corridors upon which we must trod...
and as we fade and as we become more contrite
that's when we see that the light wins every time.
In fact...the truth is that when the light of God beckons you to go through the storm...to approach the dark times of your life...memories...people..ect...remember...that to obey God in these things is to move towards the light...and the darkness will be bound..Yes..the darkness that frightens you can never win...not in the presence of God's light...Check out this song from Anthem Lights...!!
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
God says, Jonah....there are some people that I want to hear the good news...and he says, "surely not, Lord!!" God says, Peter, take and eat...and he says, "Surely not, Lord!!" God says...Sarah, you will have a baby and sarah says within her heart, "surely not, Lord!"
We have a hard time believing God don't we...?? Notice that most of us believe in God...that there is in fact a God...but we do not believe God or take Him at His word. Jonah believed that God would in fact save Nineveh...but he did not believe God that "such a thing" was good!! When God calls something good.....do you call it good? Seriously??? Honestly, I don't think that we can put on the robes of righteousness and claim to walk in the light as Christ is in the light until we take the Lord at his Word!! Are you ready to be redefined by God so that even when His ways don't make sense that you can say, "Amen" ???
Principle:When God's ways seem to be a bit unsure, it's the softened heart that's willing to be made pure! When we doubt God's truth and plan, we are surely trusting in our own feet to stand!! Today...think for a minute that your life is over in a flash and that if you do not do things God's way..you are going to crash...Oh Jesus...please take the wheel and drive me home!!
