Jonah’s Second Chance, Nineveh’s Repentance and God Relenting

Jonah 3 :Jonah’s Second Chance, Nineveh’s Repentance and God Relenting

       In Jonah Chapter 1 God commanded Jonah to go to the great Assyrian city of Nineveh and preach His Word.

But Jonah responded by wilfully disobeying God and running in the opposite direction to the city of Tarshish in Spain that was literally the end of the earth in that day.

We see in chapter 2 God disciplined Jonah, as He does all the children that He loves but did not abandon Jonah or grow weary in patience or kindness to him. In this we witness the unyielding persistence of God to pursue those that He loves until they are transformed. We can take great comfort that regardless of how frequent, far, and fast we have ran from God that He never wearies in pursuing His children and speaking to them yet again… and including them in His ministry. 

Now let’s have a look through Jonah Chapter  3.

Jonah’s Second Chance

In verses 1-2 we see emphasis on the Word of God coming to him a second time, a second chance... despite Jonah’s unfaithfulness God was faithful and kind to Jonah speaking to him again and commanding him to preach His Word in Nineveh. This time in verse 3 Jonah was obedient and went to Nineveh

Now this chapter did not hesitate to give details of how great a task this would be and how daunting it was… 3 days… it would take Jonah 3 days of proclaiming:  “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” He went through day one; which in my eyes would’ve been a very long day for him to say just that simple statement over and over again. Very short and sweet, at first glance a bit crazy but what would encourage him along would be the response he receives from the audience his listeners.

Please note that Jonah didn’t speak the words of his own but what came out of his mouth were words given to him. These words, when uttered had great authority and power behind them. How do you know that Adrian I’m glad you asked In Verse 5 “The Ninevites believed God, A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, they put on sack-cloth.”

You see they believed God not Jonah the vessel was not on show here but what it had contained inside it and in Listening to those words would then create a city wide change!

Nineveh’s Repentance

In Verses 5 through 9 we would see Nineveh in response to these Powerful words of God by repenting and how they went about it would be go down in history! A nationwide fast was proclaimed, so that they would be spared not a drop to eat for anyone from the greatest to the least.

They were encouraged by the king to do these outward things which supported their inward change… in verse 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.

Verse 9 is where we have a laugh for a second. It begins by saying “who knows?” Now hold on a minute you mean to tell me that I’m doing all of this: Wear these crazy clothes, not eat my lovely meals, and sit around all day in dust but being saved isn’t sure?

But see the thing is it isn’t a laughing matter when you realize that this life of yours that you’ve been living in sin and violence and thinking its right will come to an end soon. This very life can be suddenly taken away from you in a mere forty days, not by natural death but by the Hands of the one who holds your life in his hands.

You see the King was hoping for what Jonah had received at the beginning of the chapter… A second chance…to make things right and go the correct path and giving up their evil ways and turning and going in the direction of God was the way forward!

God Relenting

We now come to the self-explanatory verse 10 "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened"
God deciding to change his mind is only something he can do… based on evidence that was presented in this verse believe you me this wasn’t a wishy-washy repentance this was the real deal. Coming before an all-knowing all seeing God and having him relent takes a sincere heart and sincere change in ways not one for show.

The people of Nineveh’s humble and sincere repentance was met with God’s compassion as He loved them, forgave them, and did not bring upon them the judgment they knew they deserved for their many sins. In this we see the pattern of God’s work throughout the ages in saving people from not only sin and death but also His fierce vengeance. Salvation begins with the preaching of God’s Word that is accompanied by a conviction of sin, sincere repentance, and grace and mercy replacing imminent anger and justice.

All of this is ultimately made possible only through the cross of Jesus Christ where God’s justice and mercy kissed and Jesus was punished for the sins of all of God’s people, including Jonah, the Ninevites, and everyone else who turn from sin to throw themselves upon the mercy of God

So what Now?

We truly need to see our need for God’s grace and no one else’s, because his grace alone is sufficient! After seeking and finding his grace, we need to cling closely to the God of Grace and mercy. Nineveh said “Who knows?” But we know that through scripture and through the internal transformation that we’ve received through Jesus Christ that grace was the way in and still the way on. This will help us to pursue his calling continuously because it’s the most valuable thing in life.

          As believers we need to take comfort in this scripture and see God’s second chance in our situations. When we don’t feel close to him or don’t “feel” forgiven. That he has forgiven us as soon as we’ve asked for it and wants to commune with us again.

          For those who don’t know this saviour and wonderful God to you I must say that it’s time to examine one’s life and like the people of Nineveh the judgement on sin is imminent and we need to ensure that we received God’s love not his wrath.

Have a peaceful day.

By Adrian

Its An Exciting Thing To Know The Word Of God

It’s an exciting thing to know the word of God!

Friends it is very exciting to know the word of God. Why?  Because knowing the word means knowing him! What’s greater than that!?

Quote from the book “Power of your words” by Robert Morris

“As believers, we are all explorers who seek to discover the truths contained in the Bible. We know that there really isn't any new truth to discover – after all, the Bible has been around for thousands of years – but some of the teachings we uncover will be new to us. That is why we can read the Bible over and over again and gain new insights every time. God’s kingdom is vast, and there are many wonderful new things that we can discover each day.”

Isn’t that wonderful? It’s been around for thousands of years but never gets old!

2 Tim 3:16-17 All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

What is the word of God?

Even though people say “The Book of the Bible” it’s actually the world’s smallest Library, one book with 66 books inside…

It is simply a book… and we should see it that way… Yes, when I was told this my eyebrows raised and squinted just as you are doing right now.

We never find it difficult to read famous books, magazines, Horrid Henry, crime novels do we? When I say we I do include myself in this as well… They were never hard to read through were they? Hmmm, I wonder why? We can all think of loads of reasons why… but I will just say that we have expectations and a positive mind-set that whatever is contained within those pages should be of some interest to us!

 We should read the Bible that way too!...Paul said ALL scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness  So therefore when we pick up the word of God we should have an expectation to be taught, be told off, corrected on the journey of life and be trained. The most important part is that we know this happens in Righteousness, You see friends this is all happening while we are in right standing with God! Why? v17 makes it clear: so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work!

 Now I don't know about you, but sometimes I think I do "good" because of who I am, and when I do think that way I get grumpy about Wednesday...Because I run out of My goodness! But I feel we should be and reminded that God is our source daily not just Sunday!

Why is the word of God Important to Us?

We see that scripture is God breathed but it is also there for our enhancement, encouragement and enjoyment. Take time one day to look at the grammar…, scene changes…. The flow of the story… Personally I think The King James Version of Songs of Songs would put Romeo and Juliet to shame! David and Goliath would make “Gladiator” seem like they need a bit more training!

But what makes the word of God important to us isn't because it’s a just a library that we read… but because of who wrote it… The bible has both a human and Divine Author… and what makes it more important is that as we read it the Holy Spirit helps us to uncover the truths contained within its pages.

Luke 24:32: They asked each other “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?  

Normally when we read one verse for emphasis, we should either read the whole chapter or a few verses for context to understand the verse…

In Luke 24:  Jesus met these men on the road to Emmaus, and they were speaking of current affairs and were sad about it all… He then addressed their Sadness in v17-18 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them Cleopas asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know what have happened there in these days?”

They told Jesus about what happened and that his tomb was empty but they were sad. Jesus then began to show them in scripture why such things must happen… from the Moses downwards….he explained to them why these things must be… This made a complete change of significance…, it was there but they didn’t know its value until Jesus revealed it to them. Then he had a meal with them and it opened there eyes and they realized it was him…, he then disappeared out of their sight! (Personally I would passed if he just disappeared) but they just said to each other 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

We do read familiar things in the Bible… and through the Holy Spirit they apply to our different circumstances… we should seek out the word for encouragement amongst the familiar things that we read day in day out… in the psalms, proverbs, the gospels etc.

Why is it exciting to know the word of God?

There are many ways in which God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit… But the word of God supports most of those ways… and should never be substituted for anything else. We…me included must be careful not to fall into the habit of saying…”I didn’t read my Bible today but I read a book that had scriptures in it”…This isn’t wrong to do…but should not be a substitute for the pure nutritious word of God for something else that refers to it.

Just like how we have sustenance and energy from eating at least a meal a day…everyday… we need to get that from the Word for our spirit…why? To be equipped for every good work!

I must encourage you to attend a group that studies the word weekly or have friends who speak God’s word and discusses it regularly... Here at Granville Street we have bible study prayer meetings etc. Take a program and have a look.

Finally…I can stand up on the mountain top and shout with a loud voice that it’s an exciting thing to know the word of God!…but what would make it true is that you would have to read it and meditate on it and find excitement for yourself!

In Joshua Chapter 1:7-9 it says:

Joshua 1:7-9 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

In conclusion

Let those who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour be encouraged to continually keep going back to The Word of God and in doing so uncovering its hidden treasures stored within its pages! For those of you who are yet to know the God of the Bible that I’m writing about and would like to know more about Him. Go to this link and read more - http://tinyurl.com/y8c7qvo after that contact me or a Christian friend you know, we would gladly introduce you to him!   

Until Next time Peace Be With you

Written By Adrian

Working without Wilting

Working without Wilting

Would you say that you have a passion for working with people? It might be a particular group or just people in general.  Is there a huge part of you that is drawn to either helping those in need or making a difference in their lives and be encouraging if you’re given the opportunity? Does it just come naturally to you to help or go the extra mile? Do you find fulfilment and satisfaction in giving a lot of yourself unconditionally? With that said have you found yourself in a situation where you are not getting spiritual food you need to last you the day?

I will rest when I die

Well if you said yes to most of these then you may also be familiar with the long hours, burning out and frustration that comes with it. This is mostly common when it’s related to your passion for people. It’s almost like saying “I will rest when I die”!

This is written from my personal experience and how others and most importantly the Bible has taught and helped me to be able to work with my passion for people without wilting.

It Gets Frustrating

First of all let me start with pointing out some areas that frustration might arise. They can be and not exclusive to: not having enough time for family and friends, not enough personal time for growth, rest and recharge (input: such as reading the Bible, books, etc). Don’t have a job, time for education, and a lack of personal discipline.

Now you may be wondering “how can I be able to do what I am passionate about and avoid frustration or at best manage and minimize frustration”?

Value who we are in Christ

So many of us don’t understand that we are valuable to God, we don’t behave as people who are worthy of God’s love. John 3:16 gives us that confidence that we are valuable and loved.

Loving God and Others as our neighbours

After accepting that we are valued by God, we can then love him according to Mark 12:30-34 and we can love others because we understand what love is. Have you been so busy catering for the needs of others and yet your needs are not being met? 3John 1:2 shows that that isn’t the health intended for us. Is it so much more about others and never ever about you? Well Mark 12:31 says differently, after reading that, can you ever love others if you don’t love yourself?

Practice What We Preach or Teach

How is it that we give others advice about spending time in the word, recommending books and all sorts but we ourselves don’t make time for that. Well if we know that we are valued sons and daughters then we know that spending time reading the Bible individually is vital to our daily lives. Whatever we are doing we need to make sure we are in good health and of sound mind before we help others do the same. I found that I didn’t have this revelation and that it starts with me not others.

Getting Our Priorities Right

Ultimately it all starts with Christ first, then us, then others. Valuing yourself means that we give ourselves what we need as a priority. This may include: reading the right books, going to conferences, church, talking to people who are further on in their walk than us and most importantly spending time in the word of God. Giving yourself what you need before attending to others will prevent you burning out because you will know when you are running on empty and go fill up on: rest, devotion and therefore recharging. Sometimes as people we might think just leaving something all together is the solution, but really it’s not dealing with the issue (it may be necessary for certain situations) but if you have reached this point, you may need to take (request) some time off, go somewhere different that allows you to relax and review the situation. I realised this after speaking to a couple who are spiritually mature than I am and have lived far more years than myself, they helped me to see that prioritising is best.

Discerning when to say Yes or No

Saying yes to everything and not exercising when to say no is dangerous.

Think about it this way, saying yes all the time is not exercising self control which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit that every believer has; Galatians 5:22-23. It is a seed that we have to water, being in situations where we want to say yes but knowing that saying yes means you won’t have that time with God and that is really valuable to your soul to spend time with God you say no (depending on the situation you will need wisdom) Proverbs 25:28 (The Living Bible). Also the book “Boundaries by Ds. Henry Cloud & John Townsend” I hear has helped a lot of people which is on my list to read.

Discipline Ourselves

Without self-control you are defenceless, you open yourself up to a lot of problems. When it comes to time management, in order to do all we need to do in a day or a set period of time we need to focus on our priorities and leave what we can’t do for the next day. It is the ability to say no to certain things and yes to the right things, all in its right time. There is a time for everything that includes rest, input, output (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Knowing that there is a season for everything, and you are not created to give every minute of your life to the point that you burn out. In Genesis 2:2 the almighty God rests, even though God doesn’t physically or mentally need rest (Psalm 121:4) but he knows that we do. Personally I think that he rested to set an example for us and let us know that in doing all our day to day service to him we still need to be disciplined enough to stop and rest. So if the Lord of Hosts can rest then how about us?

Always check with God

So often we dive into the different kinds of ministries in church, and it is fantastic that we do. However we are all on a journey some further along than others but we all have so much to learn. So when it reaches a place where you are frustrated, losing your passion, drained, and burnt out that you just don’t want anything to do with that ministry anymore clearly there is something not right. Those are the times we check with God even more so as we should be acknowledging Him in all we do Proverbs 3:6 and to see if our season or time is up or if we should just preserve (rest and refill). That is because serving God is a joy especially when he has put that ministry on our hearts. God knows that life is not straightforward so he has put in his word everything we need to make it through those situations.

In conclusion

It isn’t right to expect those around us to be the ones to monitor and ensure we don’t burn out. Yes there are times when we are privileged enough to have those people who will look out for us but we are called to serve the Lord as individuals in as much as we are corporately. It is up to us to ensure that we know our value in Christ, loving God and others as our neighbours. Being examples and practice what we preach or teach. Making sure we know and get our priorities right and thus enabling us to discern when to say Yes or No. Deep down in our hearts and minds we must know that personal discipline is fundamentally important. Be sure that our passion is effective and constantly checking with God in all we do. The word of God which gives us wisdom, and is there to equip us for any task that is set before us by God, so that we don’t burn out or experience certain things from lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6), understanding/wisdom. Let us be a people who seek out wisdom Proverbs 8:12.  

God Bless and have a great day

Author - Jireh Kang’Ombe