Daily Bread_February 26, 2013

Title: Who is on the Lord's Side?

Text: Jonah 1

Click on link below to read scripture:

http://tinyurl.com/bjm6tbp

Observation:

A sermon and a song that I heard recently planted the seed for today's meditation on the word of God. The song was, "Who is On the Lord's Side?" The sermon was from Jonah 1.

It may surprise you that those on the Lord's side are not those that you expect. In chapter one of Jonah we find that the pagan sailors appear to be more on the Lord's side than the man of God, Jonah. Who were the God fearing men in this circumstance?

It depends upon where you stand. The song has these lyrics:

"Get up if you're on the Lord's side.

Get on your feet."

When you fear God, you stand in awe of him. However, when you are afraid of God, you run from him. Jonah was running from the Lord.

Jonah 1:3 (ESV)
³ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.

Compare Jonah's running from God with the actions of the pagan sailors of running to God, and crying out to him. Notice verse 16; it tells you who feared God.

Jonah 1:13-15 (ESV)
¹³ Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.
¹⁴ Therefore they called out to the LORD, "O LORD, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you."
¹⁵ So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
Jonah 1:16 (ESV)
¹⁶ Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I stand in awe of your ways, and I am so glad that your ways are not like my ways. Father, help me by your grace and mercy to conform my ways to be more like your ways. In Jesus name, Amen.

--

Acts 6:4 (KJV)
⁴ But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

 

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

 http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/