Jonah 2
Jonah's Prayer
1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave [a] I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.'
5 The engulfing waters threatened me, [b] the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.
7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.
8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."
10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotional
Psalm 90BOOK IV : Psalms 90-106 A prayer of Moses the man of God. 1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn men back to dust, saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning-
6 though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.
10 The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span [a] is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor [b] of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
January 4, 2008
What Will You Write?
ODB RADIO: Listen Now Download
READ: Psalm 90
You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. —James 4:14 About this cover In January 2006, a mine explosion in rural West Virginia threatened the lives of 13 coal miners. Having grown up in that state, I was among the millions riveted to the news for the next few days. Tragically, all but one of the miners were found dead. To compound the pain of that loss, the first reports given to the families said that all but one had been found alive. When the grim news of the deaths came, the grief was compounded with anger—and a desire to blame someone for the whole gut-wrenching event.
At one of the funerals, however, Rev. Wease Day asked the hurting to look in a different direction—within. During their last hours, some of the miners had written notes to their families, in some cases offering comfort and hope. In light of that, Pastor Day urged his congregation not to seek to fix blame. He instead challenged them to imagine what they would write in a farewell note if they had only hours to live.
In some ways we are like those miners. We are trapped in a dark world and are facing physical death. How we live our lives as followers of Christ becomes our “note” to the world. James wrote that life is “a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (4:14). By God’s grace, what will you write with your life today? —Bill Crowder
Lord and Savior, Christ divine,Reign within this heart of mine;May my witness ever beAlways, only, Lord for Thee. —Brandt
A Christlike life is a message of hope to a searching world.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
January 4, 2008
Why Can I Not Follow You Now?LISTEN: READ:
Peter said to Him, ’Lord, why can I not follow You now?’ —John 13:37 About this cover There are times when you can’t understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don’t fill it with busyness, just wait. The time of waiting may come to teach you the meaning of sanctification— to be set apart from sin and made holy— or it may come after the process of sanctification has begun to teach you what service means. Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt— wait.
At first you may see clearly what God’s will is— the severance of a friendship, the breaking off of a business relationship, or something else you feel is distinctly God’s will for you to do. But never act on the impulse of that feeling. If you do, you will cause difficult situations to arise which will take years to untangle. Wait for God’s timing and He will do it without any heartache or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move.
Peter did not wait for God. He predicted in his own mind where the test would come, and it came where he did not expect it. "I will lay down my life for Your sake." Peter’s statement was honest but ignorant. "Jesus answered him, ’ . . . the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times’ " (John 13:38). This was said with a deeper knowledge of Peter than Peter had of himself. He could not follow Jesus because he did not know himself or his own capabilities well enough. Natural devotion may be enough to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His irresistible charm, but it will never make us disciples. Natural devotion will deny Jesus, always falling short of what it means to truly follow Him.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
The Myth of Secret Sin - #5475 Friday, January 04, 2008
It's one of the most popular convention locations in the United States - Las Vegas. We can each guess as to what some of the reasons for its popularity might be. But it's become a popular destination for people other than conventioneers. A recent advertising campaign is offering Las Vegas as the place to go if you want to get away with something. Using some scenes that suggest some covert relationships and secret romantic liaisons, the tantalizing promise that flashes across the screen simply says: "What you do here stays here." Wrong!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "The Myth of Secret Sin."
This isn't about a particular city or an advertising campaign. It's about that dark side of all of us that the idea of "getting away with it" appeals to. There is this instinct in us that seems to say, "What you do when you're alone, when you're away from home, when you're 'off duty,' when no one knows you, you can do it and no one will ever know. It doesn't count." What a lie!
Hebrews 4:13, our word for today from the Word of God, assures us that "nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." It couldn't be more blunt. God has seen it all. And if God knows, and He does, you're caught. Oh, the consequences, the judgment may not come instantaneously, but be sure they will come. In the words of Numbers 32:23, "Be sure your sin will find you out." There's no such thing as anonymous sin; as sin you get away with.
What we just read describes God, the great Creator of the universe and the Creator of you, as "Him to whom we must give account." You will stand before God one day, and no one knows when their appointment with God is. There will be no excuses, no rationalizations, no cover-ups, no plea bargains—only reckoning. What you think is a secret is not a secret with the only One who really matters. Romans 2:16 says, "God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ" (Romans 2:16). Maybe you've fooled everyone. You can't fool Him.
The thought of facing the judgment of the God against whom we've all rebelled is nothing short of terrifying. As the Bible says, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). But the amazing good news Jesus brought is that you and I don't have to pay the awful, eternal death penalty for our sin. Someone already did. Jesus did. In the words of the Bible, "He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10). Imagine, God's love for you is so great that He poured the hell for your sin against Him on His own Son so you would never have to pay for it yourself. So you could spend eternity in the heaven that you could never deserve rather than the hell you do deserve. He really, really loves you. He went a long way to forgive you.
But you have to first face your sin and see it for what it is—the defiant hijacking of your life from the God who made you. Then you have to decide you're ready to turn from the sin that killed Him and place your life in His hands, which is where you were created to be anyway. And the weight of a lifetime of sinning the weight of a lifetime of secrets and darkness can come off your shoulders this very day because, as the Bible says, "The blood of Jesus His Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). He is alive today. You can tell Him right now, "Jesus, Your death for my sin is my only hope and I am Yours."
If that's what you want, I want to encourage you to visit our website where I think there’s some things I’ve put there that will help you be sure you’ve begun your relationship with Him. I hope you know how to do that. Here’s the website. It’s yoursforlife.net. Or I have a little booklet called Yours For Life with that information in it, and you can call toll free for it at 877-741-1200.
This can be the day of your new beginning, when God's spiritual shower makes you clean and every sin of your life is erased from His book forever. This could be the day that your judgment is cancelled.
To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.
The Myth of Secret Sin - #5475 Friday, January 04, 2008
It's one of the most popular convention locations in the United States - Las Vegas. We can each guess as to what some of the reasons for its popularity might be. But it's become a popular destination for people other than conventioneers. A recent advertising campaign is offering Las Vegas as the place to go if you want to get away with something. Using some scenes that suggest some covert relationships and secret romantic liaisons, the tantalizing promise that flashes across the screen simply says: "What you do here stays here." Wrong!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "The Myth of Secret Sin."
This isn't about a particular city or an advertising campaign. It's about that dark side of all of us that the idea of "getting away with it" appeals to. There is this instinct in us that seems to say, "What you do when you're alone, when you're away from home, when you're 'off duty,' when no one knows you, you can do it and no one will ever know. It doesn't count." What a lie!
Hebrews 4:13, our word for today from the Word of God, assures us that "nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." It couldn't be more blunt. God has seen it all. And if God knows, and He does, you're caught. Oh, the consequences, the judgment may not come instantaneously, but be sure they will come. In the words of Numbers 32:23, "Be sure your sin will find you out." There's no such thing as anonymous sin; as sin you get away with.
What we just read describes God, the great Creator of the universe and the Creator of you, as "Him to whom we must give account." You will stand before God one day, and no one knows when their appointment with God is. There will be no excuses, no rationalizations, no cover-ups, no plea bargains—only reckoning. What you think is a secret is not a secret with the only One who really matters. Romans 2:16 says, "God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ" (Romans 2:16). Maybe you've fooled everyone. You can't fool Him.
The thought of facing the judgment of the God against whom we've all rebelled is nothing short of terrifying. As the Bible says, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). But the amazing good news Jesus brought is that you and I don't have to pay the awful, eternal death penalty for our sin. Someone already did. Jesus did. In the words of the Bible, "He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10). Imagine, God's love for you is so great that He poured the hell for your sin against Him on His own Son so you would never have to pay for it yourself. So you could spend eternity in the heaven that you could never deserve rather than the hell you do deserve. He really, really loves you. He went a long way to forgive you.
But you have to first face your sin and see it for what it is—the defiant hijacking of your life from the God who made you. Then you have to decide you're ready to turn from the sin that killed Him and place your life in His hands, which is where you were created to be anyway. And the weight of a lifetime of sinning the weight of a lifetime of secrets and darkness can come off your shoulders this very day because, as the Bible says, "The blood of Jesus His Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). He is alive today. You can tell Him right now, "Jesus, Your death for my sin is my only hope and I am Yours."
If that's what you want, I want to encourage you to visit our website where I think there’s some things I’ve put there that will help you be sure you’ve begun your relationship with Him. I hope you know how to do that. Here’s the website. It’s yoursforlife.net. Or I have a little booklet called Yours For Life with that information in it, and you can call toll free for it at 877-741-1200.
This can be the day of your new beginning, when God's spiritual shower makes you clean and every sin of your life is erased from His book forever. This could be the day that your judgment is cancelled.
To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit: yoursforlife.net or call 1-888-966-7325.