We are going to take
a little boat trip on the ocean today, so if you tend to get seasick,
bring along some crackers to settle your tummy. Oh - and don't forget
to bring along your Bible too - you're going to need it as we travel with
Jonah beginning at chapter one, verse one....
"Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah...."
Not only Jonah, but you and I too! The Word of the Lord comes to us when
we open our Bibles and study them. We get unmistakable direction and purpose
for our lives from God this way, as verse 2 shows us...
"Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it for their wickedness
is come up before me."
But - do we take the path the Lord would have us to? Does that mean we
will willingly follow God's travel itinerary He has clearly laid out for
us? How does verse 3 show Jonah responding to God's authority over his
life?
"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."
Little did Jonah know what he bought for himself when he paid that fare
and ran from God! Little do we know either what kind of trouble we are
buying into when we refuse to follow the Lord's leading in our lives....
We have no idea that we are headed for very stormy times as verse 4 reveals
in Jonah's life...
"But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty
tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken."
This is where you'll want to get out your crackers and eat them, this
is the part where we will begin to get nauseous as the winds come and
the storms rage against us, threatening to destroy us. You know ladies,
that's just what we do when we refuse to yield to God's authority over
us... We start to get a little sin-sick over our circumstances and we
reach for our own methods of soothing ourselves - our own crackers - so
we can cover up the real problem just as Jonah did in verse 5 with sleep....
"Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and
cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it
of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay,
and was fast asleep."
What a lesson we can learn about ourselves from Jonah! We learn that we
cannot depend upon our conscience alone in this life. While the storm
raged, Jonah was sound asleep below deck. Here we see that even as he
ran from God, Jonah’s disobedient, sinful actions apparently didn’t bother
his conscience very much, amen? But ladies, the absence of guilt isn’t
always a barometer as to whether we are doing right! Because we can deny
reality, we cannot measure obedience by our feelings! Jonah could have
said to himself, "Hmm, I don't FEEL bad at all for leaving, so this must
be okay for me to do." Is this the way Christians should measure the direction
they take? Certainly not! Instead, we must compare what we do with GOD’S
standards for living, with what HE says in His Word is right, rather than
allowing our feelings to be our guide.
Deut. 8:3, "....that he might make thee know that man doth not live by
bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the
Lord doth man live."
Meanwhile, Jonah's sleeping conscience was bringing anxiety upon the weaker
consciences of those around him. Those mariners he was traveling with
were quite familiar with storms, they knew this was a bad one, even if
Jonah didn't realize it! In desperation, they thought something needed
to be subtracted from the ship to insure their safety, so they through
their wares overboard. They were also fearfully praying to their gods,
for their consciences were weakened by Jonah's behavior. So too ladies,
when we are determined to selfishly head off in our own direction we are
going to cause others around us to stumble. We must be instead be sensitive
to the consciences of others and prevent this from happening! Something
needed to be added to the trip, not subtracted.... That something was
Jonah's obedience and the testimony of a clear conscience!
Acts 24:16, "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience
void of offense toward God, and toward men."
Have you weakened the consciences of others with your 'personal travel
plans' recently? Exercise your conscience today and find out if this is
true or not... Make sure when you head out to sea and purchase your sailing
ticket, you are not also buying into offense toward God AND men! We need
to be sure that we take pains to pack a clear testimony in our luggage
on whatever 'trip' we take! We must be willing to live honestly before
both God and man, amen? If you can't, better postpone your trip! You'll
only end up shipwrecked as Jonah did....
1 Timothy 1:19, "Holding faith AND a good conscience; which some having
put away concerning faith have made shipwreck."
'Holding faith' - know what that means? Hold tightly onto the Word of
God with every step you take! AND be sure to bring along a good conscience
too... You can't travel with just your conscience on the sea of life,
for we have learned from Jonah that it can fall asleep, it can be ignored!
You need the Word of God as your map to steer you in the right direction...
Oftentimes you and I try our best to steer clear of actions forbidden
by Scripture. However, without holding onto faith, we will inveritably
sin and go against the direction that God has given us in His Word. This
is precisely what will leave a person with a guilty or uneasy conscience.
Therefore, when God shows us that something is wrong for us, we should
avoid it. When God shows us something is right for us, we should do it!
What direction are you headed in today sailor lady? Are you following
GOD'S travel itinerary for your life, or do you have your own plans all
laid out? Are you holding tightly onto your Map? Are you able to pack
your clear conscience and take it with you, or has guilt been your constant
companion? With such important preparation matters taken care of, you'll
be able to leave your crackers at home, forsake the nausea of the trip,
and guarantee yourself some smooth sailing - headed straight in the direction
of pleasing your God!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello