The Important Lessons to be Learned from Jonah’s Story! Part 1.

08 May 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jonah 1:2.        Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry (out) against it; for their wickedness is come before me.

And after the rain comes the sun … that’s the Lord’s decree. And so it’s been this Friday morning in early May, when the trees are blooming with new life and a picturesque colour of green foliage. That tells us that it’s surely spring, the rebirth of our dead world in the northern climes. And with that breath of freshness in the air, our Friday Mantra rose gaily to heaven: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’

And is it ever so nice to see leaves on the trees again. By the way, that tree in my neighbour’s backyard still has the old leaves that survived the winter, blowing along with the new ones. You can see their light brown colour amongst the light green of the new leaves. Will keep you informed on that unusual scenario. (smile)  

And today, we’ll also look at another interesting story, that of the prophet Jonah. The Bible tells it thus: ‘Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah (Dove) the son of Amittai (Truth), saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry (out) against it; for their wickedness is come before me.’ (Jon. 1:1-2)

Now, that’s how it usually begins; with a directive from the Lord that we don’t care for. So what happens then? We make multiple excuses and then disobey the Lord’s directive. And Jonah was no different. The Bible continues: ‘But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.’ (Jon. 1:3) 

How foolish was that eh? Did Jonah really expect to escape from the Lord’s presence? Likewise, do we really expect to escape from His presence when we run and hide from Him? Oh friends, hiding from Almighty God is impossible, because He’s omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present. Meaning, He’s all powerful, all knowing, and all present, or present everywhere. So, I don’t know if Jonah really thought he could run from the Lord without any consequences. But hopefully we know that. (smile)

And during the journey to Tarshish, a big storm arose, that wanted to break up the boat. So the voyagers were all afraid, and cried out to their own god, while casting out stuff to lighten the boat. ‘But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.’  (Jon. 1:5b) Like Jonah was doing a Jesus routine; fast asleep during the storm, while the boat was about to break up. (Mark 4:35-41) But like Jesus, his restful sleep was unfortunately disturbed.

‘So the shipmaster (captain) came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil (trouble) is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.’ (Jon. 1:6-7) How amazing eh mih people for the lot to fall on Jonah! But we all know that was the hand of the Lord working in His mysterious ways.

And there’s one important thing to note here; in our disobedience, or running from God, we don’t only hurt ourselves, but very often innocent people too. The other people on the ship didn’t do anything to warrant the trouble, but Jonah’s disobedient presence amongst them, forced them to withstand unnecessary trouble. So please, let’s think seriously about what we’re doing when we try to get away from God, for some of our LOVED ones might end up suffering for our disobedience.

The long and short of Jonah’s story is that he eventually told his shipmates what was happening with him. And when they asked what they could do so that the sea would be calm; ‘And he said unto them, Take (pick) me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto (for) you: for I know that for my sake (because of me) this great tempest is upon you.’ (Jon. 1:12) But the men didn’t take him seriously and still rowed hard through the storm trying to come to land.

But the storm was too powerful for them. ‘Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us (do not charge us) with innocent blood: for thou O Lord hast done as it pleased thee.’ (Jon. 1:14) And there was  absolutely no doubt about that; the Lord had indeed done as He pleased. (smile) ‘So they took up (lifted) Jonah, and cast him forth (hurled him) into the sea: and the sea ceased her raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord and made vows.’ (Jon. 1:15-16)

Now, it doesn’t always happen thus, but fortunately in this case, Jonah’s disobedience might also have created some believers, as they witnessed God’s immense power. However, the safest way to stop potential trouble from happening, is always to obey the Lord’s directive. And tomorrow, if God spares life, we will continue with Jonah’s story, and see what other valuable lessons we can learn from it. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to help in these troubled times.

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. Heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. 

And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good example we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And as we keep saying, it’s not only the unbelievers who need to wake up and smell the coffee, but also we supposedly faithful believers, because our Christian witness still leaves a lot to be desired. Much LOVE!

…oh…how we hurt ourselves and others…when we intentionally disobey God…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 August 2014 Luke 23:34a

07 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Luke 23:34a.    Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Oh Friends, it’s another beautiful summer’s day in my area! Only problem is that I’m suffering from the after effects of a beautiful summer’s night! (smile) That means I was up till the wee hours of the morning, consequently my rising was a tad late. (smile)
 
It’s summer Friends, so I have to enjoy it as much as possible, because it will soon be gone, and I won’t be able to do things like sit on my front porch in the early hours of the morning, clad only in shorts and T-shirt, enjoying the quiet beauty of nature and communing with my Maker.
 
And it is surely refreshing and reassuring to know that our great God is still on His throne controlling things, which means, all is well. Praise the Lord!
 
Yes Friends, blessings and mercy, grace, LOVE and forgiveness are still being showered down on us in great abundance each and every day, through the Lord’s LOVING-kindness.
 
And I sincerely implore us to gracefully and gratefully receive them all with thanksgiving, as we continue on our pilgrim’s journey on earth today. It’s the only WISE way to live!
 
Now some of you might be wondering how come we still have a Bit on forgiveness, when I said that yesterday was the last day? Well don’t blame me Friends, for I am just the messenger. That was the Lord’s idea. And it’s pretty interesting how He communicated it.
 
Last night, while watching Uncle John (John Hagee) preach a sermon on self-control, which in today’s selfish society is almost nonexistent – some of you may have seen it – he mentioned Jesus’ crucifixion as being one of the greatest moments of self-control displayed in human history.
 
The reasoning being that if Jesus had so desired, He could have called down legions of angels to disrupt and take over the whole proceeding. But fortunately for us, He didn’t, thus allowing His Father’s will to prevail and subsequently our salvation and eternal life to be assured.
 
However, the idea, the awareness it raised in my mind was that that most cruel, unforgettable occasion was the greatest act of forgiveness ever made!
 
Just think about it nuh people: Jesus was sadistically ridiculed, disgraced and totally humiliated by Pilate and the Roman soldiers in all the ways possible, emotionally, mentally and physically. And to add insult to injury, audaciously crucifying Him between two common criminals.
 
But mih breddren, that physical abuse was truly something else yes: the whipping, the scourging, the crown of thorns, forced to carry His own cross, then being cruelly nailed to it, in a manner guaranteed to cause the most suffering over the longest period possible, spearing Him in the side, giving Him sour vinegar to drink when He cried out for thirst, plus the host of snide remarks and disrespectful acts as reported by the Good Book.
 
‘And they parted his raiment (divided His garments), and cast lots. And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided (sneered at) him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
 
And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar (sour wine), And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew. THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
 
And one of the malefactors (criminals) which were hanged railed on him (blasphemed), saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss (wrong).
 
And he said unto Jesus, Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in heaven.’ (Luke 23:34b-43)
 
And yet my fellow believers, in spite of all the sadistic humiliation and physical torture, as He hung limply and almost lifeless on the rough and rugged wooden cross, Jesus was still able to rise above it all, to prove that He was indeed someone special, someone come to perform a most, or rather the most important event in man’s history, after his creation.
 
Yes my brethren, as He hung there dying, as the lifeblood slowly seeped out of His bruised and battered body, Jesus magnanimously declared the awesome, heart-rending words of our Bit: ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’
 
Now my people, if Jesus could utter those miraculous words of forgiveness, after the way in which He was so inhumanely treated, abused with such withering force and callousness, who are we not to forgive our fellow man of the mostly petty wrongs that they do to us eh?
 
None of us have suffered, or will most likely ever suffer one iota of Jesus’ pain or the terrible injustice that was meted out to Him, but He was man enough to forgive, because that was His way.
 
And since He is the author and finisher of our faith, our Lord and Saviour, Leader, Teacher and Spiritual Master, as His true and loyal followers, we’re also expected to follow the same path – that of forgiveness.
 
Oh Friends, I don’t know about you all nuh, but for the last few years, having come to realize the great cruelty and insane torture that Jesus suffered on our behalf; the terrible gouges in His tattered flesh from the whip shrewdly embedded with pieces of metal and other flesh tearing particles, the huge, crude nails driven into His tender hands and feet, then left to bleed to death in the hot, noonday, desert sun…
 
Steups! Ah Lord eh! I can’t truly fathom it all nuh Friends, but it has certainly given me a new sight, a new appreciation of Jesus. And every time I consider the terrible circumstances of His crucifixion, it brings to mind this prayer that I’ve shared before with you.
 
‘Amazing Grace – how sweet the sound – that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see. Thank you Father for my new sight in Jesus. Amen.’
 
Oh my people, I do hope that we’re all taking Jesus’ suffering seriously… No that was more than suffering- it was more like ‘sufferation,’ and allowing it to fill our hearts with LOVE and grateful appreciation, which will thus enable us to have a new outlook, a new sight in what Jesus has so selflessly done for us.
 
It is undoubtedly the highest and wisest form of wisdom to which mankind can ever attain. Much LOVE!
 
…if Jesus can forgive man for the excessive cruelty meted out to Him…then man can certainly forgive man for their less excessive wrongs to each other…