Tag: Pursues

Posted in Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Our God Who Pursues, Quiet Time

Grace and Compassion

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I am always amazed—perhaps stunned is a better word—when I read about Jonah’s displeasure with God. I understand, and have experienced, disappointment with something God has allowed or not allowed before. However, in this case, Jonah had just cried out to God, repented, and been rescued from certain death. Not only that, but he was given a second chance to obey the LORD by going to Nineveh to deliver the LORD’S message. Yet, now Jonah is angry because God gave the people of Nineveh a chance to repent and spared their lives when they did. So great was Jonah’s displeasure that he cried out, “Kill me instead.”

~ God’s grace in salvation can take the worst of offenders, the worst of angry people, the worst of cheaters and liars and make them whole and brand new. Their sins can be forgiven if they respond to repentance and faith. We wonder if that’s really fair.

We may say that we are thankful that God’s grace is so great, but we hesitate when it comes to God forgiving those who have hurt us or wronged us. In those cases, we would really prefer justice to be done. We may think, “? After all they’ve said and done to us, how could they just be forgiven?”

LGG Our God Who Pursues/p83

I particularly love the second part of this chapter; It is such a wonderful illustration of God’s compassionate heart and His very personal involvement in our lives, not only for His children but also for those who do not know Him. Look again at the story – God sent a plant to shade Jonah as he waited to see the fate of the city, He sent a worm to destroy the plant, and a hot east wind. Scripture says, “the sun beat down on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life and declared, ‘I would rather die than live!'”

God’s reply is a great teachable passage, as He points out to Jonah that he had not worked for the little plant or done anything to make it grow, yet was upset because it grew up overnight and died the next day. He draws a line of comparison with a question that rebuked Jonah for his misplaced anger, asking: “Should I not be more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There are more than 120,000 people in it who do not know right from wrong…”

Let’s remember that God pursued not only Jonah but the people of Ninevah as well. I find this to be a reminder that God loves His enemies (Romans 5:8-10), and He calls us to do the same (Matt.5:44).

Reflection: How can we rejoice when God saves us but be angry when He also goes after those who we deem too far gone/not worthy?

Prayer

Father, help us to faithfully carry/share Your message of repentance and salvation with the world around us. Do not let us forget that Jesus’ death on the cross was necessary because of our sins as well as theirs. Cause us to remember that our sin is an offense to Your holiness, yet in Your grace, You chose to make a way for all to be forgiven – even me. When we are tempted to judge and weigh sins against someone else, may we remember the cost of our salvation and the great grace granted to us despite how undeserving we are. Thank You that Your character never changes. Thank You that salvation is by Your grace and not because it is deserved, yet You still welcome us in as Your children through faith in Jesus. And please, help me see others the way You see them. – Amen~1

  1. Prayer adapted from the journal entry and prayer on p83 of Our God Who Pursues ↩︎

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Love

Choosing Life Over Death

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Based on the LGG Study, Our God Who Pursues; w1d1

Deuteronomy 30:17-20; Ezekiel 33:10-11 (SOAP: Deut 30:17-18)

“But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

Deuteronomy 30:17-18

Obedience isn’t always easy. Even for the most compliant child, there are times when our way simply seems easier or better – and we choose it over what we know is right. Admittedly, it is often without giving the choice much thought – though I would venture to say there are times when we put much thought into the choices – and yet still choose our own way over God’s.

Cheering One Another On

Our journey today takes us back to the days of Moses and the Israelites and a warning they received from Moses to choose obedience to God over disobedience. Moses isn’t teaching them something new but reminding them of their commitment to follow God and not turn aside to worship and serve other gods. – Now, maybe it’s because I was a cheerleader in high school, and it’s still part of my chemistry, but I couldn’t help noticing how Moses cheered the people on toward the path God longed for them to choose. He urges them to “Choose life”… (GO-ISRAEL-GO!)… He calls them to “Love the Lord their God”...(GO-ISRAEL-GO!)… He reminds them to play hard and well, saying, “Obey the Lord and be loyal to Him”…(GO-ISRAEL-GO!). Moses wants the Israelites to succeed, so He cheers them on to victory.

But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.

Hebrews 3:13

When I cheered in high school, it was for our team to win the game, but what Moses cheered for was a matter of life and death. The people were told that the reward of obedience is life and the curse of disobedience is death. One leads to crossing the Jordan into the land that God had promised them, and the other leads to the loss of the life they would otherwise experience. While Moses strongly urges the people of God to obey and not turn away, the choice was ultimately theirs then, and it is still ours today, as we see in Acts 5:29 – where Peter and the other apostles faced the choice to obey God or man, the resolved united reply was: “We must obey God rather than men.” Jesus, like Moses, had obviously cheered His disciples on to victory, teaching them to choose life1, to love God2, and to be loyal to Him3.

God Wants Us to Succeed

God wants His people to be victorious. This is why He sends repeated calls through His messengers for His people to choose life over death by choosing obedience over disobedience. He warns us to be vigilant, like a watchman guarding the city. When the watchman knows the people are in jeopardy, he gets the message out – he sounds the alarm. If the people don’t listen, they are responsible for what happens to them, but if the watchman sits back and does nothing, Ezekiel warns that the watchman is the one responsible for the outcome.4

The Watchman’s Message

As exciting as the cheers of Moses are in Deuteronomy, my pulse races a little more when I walk through the words of Ezekiel chapter thirty-three and realize how God clearly wants His people to succeed. I see and hear the evidence of this in the blessing of “life” that is offered to those who love God and walk in obedience to Him. I also hear it in God’s declaration through Ezekiel to His rebellious people: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you die, O house of Israel?”

10 “Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ 11 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?

Ezekiel 33:10-11

God is love, and His love is richly evident in the way He relentlessly pursues His people – particularly His rebellious people – to lead them out of hiding, to rescue them, and to offer them hope and a future with Him forever.

Consider these examples5:

God pursued Adam and Eve after they sinned in the garden of Eden. (Genesis 3)
God pursued Hagar when she ran away from her problems. (Genesis 16)
God pursued Elijah when he ran from Ahab and Jezebel. (1 Kings 18-19)
God pursued Paul on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9)
And God pursues us.

Even when I was rebellious, even when sin was clearly my choice, even when I hid behind closed doors – God faithfully pursued me, pulled me out of more than one pit, drew me back to Him and changed me from the inside-out. 🦋

Prayer of Response to the Journey

Father, Thank You for pursuing me, for never letting me go, and for calling out to me and showing me the way. Thank You for hearing my prayer and not turning away from my voice. Thank You for teaching me Your way and changing me from the inside-out! I am forever and always gratefully Yours. Please, Lord, let me be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true – alerting others to follow you. ~Amen

Reflection on the Journey

If others were to look at your life, would they say that you are following the world or Jesus? Why?

The More We Know

For more insight on today’s journey, read the LGG Blog

Do you know the God who pursues? If not, I invite you to read “Know These Truths” so that you might share in His amazing love and grace.

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Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Our God Who Pursues, Quiet Time

Repentance or Regret?

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The first chapter of Joel is not an easy or feel-good read. However, two things are made clear through the prophet. First, the message is of great importance and meant for all of Judah to hear (vs2). Second, and most important, was the need for repentance (vs. 13-14). Without repentance, as chapter one describes, there would be dire consequences. From swarms of locusts to the destruction of life and land, and even animals, nothing and no one would be left unaffected.

I wrote very little in the margins of my journal today, but of the few things I did write down, this one stood out: Are you sorry for what you did (repentance) or sorry you were caught (regret)? When I turned from my personal journal to the LGG journal entry, I was a bit relieved to find similar wording written by the LGG writing team – indicating that I wasn’t too far off in my understanding of what Joel was saying, namely that “true repentance is seeking forgiveness and running to Christ.”

True repentance is more than simply being sad that you were caught or sad over the consequences of your sin. Rather, true repentance comes from deep sorrow over our sinfulness and the realization that we have grieved God and hurt other people. It is seeking forgiveness and running to Christ.

Our God Who Pursues/p45

Another thing worth noting is that it wasn’t just that the people had stopped bringing offerings to the Lord – it was that these offerings were offerings of faith, given as acts of worship which represented their trust in God – that He would provide. It wasn’t that they couldn’t come; it is that they stopped coming. The bottom line is that their sins had separated them from their God, and anything that puts distance between us and the Father grieves Him and should grieve us. It is why He calls us to repent, to turn back to Him, and it is why Joel warns of the impending doom that awaits those who do not repent. May we be people who faithfully follow the ways of God, but when we sin, may we be swift to practice true repentance – letting nothing stifle our faith, hinder our worship, or harm our relationship with God.

Prayer

Father, like the Israelites, we are sinners, and like them, we are called to repent of our sins. According to Your promises, when we confess our sins and ask Your forgiveness, You forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Help us always stay alert to any sin in our lives and to remember the grief and separation it causes between us and You. We cannot live apart from You, so help us walk in obedience and quickly repent when we fail so that nothing will separate us from Your Holy presence. In the name of Jesus – we trust and pray – amen.

The More We Know

Book of Joel – an article from Got Questions Ministries