E-pistle for April 14, 2006
Posted by: info <info@...>
Dr. Curt Scarborough, President
FreeWay Foundation April 14, 2006
Jonah Protests God's Call
(Jonah 1:1-17)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the events of this chapter
1. God called Jonah to preach repentance in Nineveh, but Jonah
"protested"
that call by rebelliously boarding a ship for Tarshish, vv. 1-3.
2. The Lord sent a storm, and the sailors asked Jonah to pray for
their
deliverance, vv. 4-9.
3. Realizing that the storm had been sent because of his rebellion
against
God, Jonah told the sailors to throw him into the sea, vv. 10-16.
4. The Lord prepared a great fish who swallowed Jonah, and Jonah lived
in
the belly of the fish for three days, v. 17.
II. Meditation: on the spiritual truths revealed here
1. The Lord is a God of mercy, not willing that any should perish . .
. not
even the wicked nation of Assyria, which had taken Israel into
captivity in 722 B.C.; God gave Nineveh (Assyria's capital) a chance to
repent, v. 2; II Peter 3:9.
2. The Lord is "God of heaven" . . . all creation, including heaven
and earth;
He is not limited by national boundaries; neither Jonah, nor any other
person, can flee from the presence of God, v. 9; Psalm 139:7-12.
3. In times of trouble, unbelievers often turn to the people of God,
asking
them to pray and to tell them what they can do to escape destruction,
vv. 6, 11; Acts 2:37; 16:30.
4. The Lord God "works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform" . .
.
God did not send an available whale, He "prepared" (created) a great
fish, v. 17; this was certified by Jesus, Matthew 12:40; Luke 11:30.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications of these
truths
1. Since God loves everyone, so should I; God's mercy and grace should
be
proclaimed to all persons everywhere.
2. God is the Creator of the universe, yet He also literally is
present among us
. . . He is "omnipresent;" therefore, we should behave accordingly because
He sees and knows our thoughts, words, and deeds.
3. God's people should be ready always and immediately to pray for and
witness to the lost, I peter 3:15.
4. Before we even realize that we have a need, God already has made
provision to supply that need, Philippians 4:19.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Be a faithful witness for Jesus Christ to the lost.
2. Live in the continuing awareness of God's spiritual presence.
3. Pray for those who are in trouble and who need the Lord.
4. Thank the Lord for His providential care for me.
"Aunt Tillie's Bear Hugs"
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I suppose that every kid who grew up in a large family had
an Aunt Tillie. Oh, your
aunt's name might not have been Tillie, but you know who I mean! Mine was
some distant
relative on my grandfather's side of the family, who showed up (invited or
not) at every
family reunion or funeral. And, just so we wouldn't hurt her tender
feelings, my mother
always made me wear that sissy cowboy shirt Aunt Tillie sent me for my
birthday. It
was a pink and purple, tender-foot-dude silky blouse with the pearl buttons,
which made
me look like Dale Evans' hair-dresser!
Aunt Tillie was what you'd call voluptuous, I think. Is that
25-cent word related
to voluminous? Anyway, there was a whole lot of Aunt Tillie! And whenever
she spotted
me in the crowd of relatives, she'd rush over to engulf me in her arms. The
stifling
combination of her super-abundant poundage and over-powering perfume
literally took
my breath away. Then, when Aunt Tillie finally released me from her
affectionate bear
hug, she'd pinch me on both cheeks . . . hard! OUCH!
It was a day of great celebration (and profound relief) when I
finally outgrew
Aunt Tillie's cowboy shirt . . . and her embarrassing embraces!
Unfortunately, I never
did out-grow her cheek pinches. I swear that to this very day, my rosy
cheeks are the
visible result of those up-close-and-personal encounters with Aunt Tillie.
Solomon was so right when he wrote: "There is . . . a time to
embrace, and a time
to refrain from embracing." (Ecclesiastes 3:5) To embrace means to clasp
in the arms, to
press to one's bosom . . . in other words, to hug. Embracing is a physical
expression of
love, acceptance, welcome, and friendship.
Elisha prophesied that a childless woman soon would embrace her
newborn
son (II Kings 4:16), and Solomon's Song speaks often about lovers embracing.
Jacob was
involved in much embracing . . . with Laban, with Esau, with Joseph's two
sons.
(Genesis 29:13; 33:4; 48:10)
In Acts 20, the Apostle Paul embraced the disciples (v. 1), and
later he embraced
and restored to life the young man, Eutychus, who had fallen from a window
to his
death (v. 10). Paul advised married couples to refrain from embracing by
mutual consent
for a time of fasting and prayer. (I Corinthians 7:5)
To embrace also means to accept, to receive to one's heart.
Solomon advised
his readers to embrace wisdom. (Proverbs 4:8) The writer of Hebrews wrote
about
persons of faith who had embraced the promises of God. (Hebrews 11:13)
PRAYER FOR THE DAY: Lord, help me to embrace other people with arms
of loving acceptance, and help me to
embrace with
steadfast faith Your precious
promises.
Pillsbury College & Seminary
Pillsbury College & Seminary is offering full tuition scholarships to the
first 100 Bi-Vocational pastors who register in 2006.
Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Simply fill out the
Registration Form that you can find at http://www.pillsburycs.org
<http://www.pillsburycs.org/> and mail it
along with a $50 registration fee and you will receive your first textbooks,
instructions, and an examination within approximately one week. You will
also be contacted by your personal mentor . . . an ordained minister who
has been assigned by Pillsbury College & Seminary to assist you in
earning your Bachelor of Biblical Studies Degree.
If your have questions, please contact drcurt@pillsburycs.org or telephone
us at (314) 739-1121.
"Twas Easter-Sunday. The full-blossomed trees filled
all the air with fragrance and with joy."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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