The Ninevite Syndrome

And he prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that Thou art a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.” Jonah 4:2 (New American Standard Bible)

When we think of Jonah we think of his spending 3 days in the belly of a great fish. Incidentally, just for the record Jesus believed this story and stated so (Matthew 12:39-41). Jonah’s loathing of Nineveh was so deeply ingrained he wanted to see God deal with that city in the harshest of terms.  God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell them they needed to repent. Knowing God was merciful and compassionate he knew it wouldn’t be done Jonah’s way so he disobeyed the Lord and went in a different direction. We know how it went when God put a stop to his rebellion. This verse speaks to me at this time in my life as there are people currently who are making my life miserable. No matter how much grace I show to them they continue to attack me. My first reaction is to see God go after these people and put them through the ringer.

I call this the ‘Ninevite Syndrome.’ Jonah did not even want to preach God’s warning to the Ninevites for fear they would repent and God would show mercy and restraint. While I am praying for God to deal with those who attack me I hesitate to add “As You see fit” for I know God is merciful and compassionate and loves to forego calamity in His dealings with others. I want to pray “Deal with them Lord and take the gloves off.”

Speaking positively, our Heavenly Father is indeed a God that is slow to anger, abundant in lovingkindness and who wants to relent concerning calamity. These are some of the major attributes that Christ Himself modeled for us. God desires that I walk in that way too and has given me His Holy Spirit to help me. At that point my prayer for those that distress me can be “Please Lord, deal with them as You see fit. And please leave the gloves on.”

Ken
www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Now who's Afraid?

And the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly shall you go, And dust shall you eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:14, 15 (New American Standard Bible)

Easter is upon us. This time of the year always leaves me in awe as I consider the unfathomable depth of God’s love for us and His finished work of redemption culminating in the glorious resurrection of Christ from the dead.

The original sin Adam and Eve committed became hereditary to every human born of man and woman. Many people read today’s verses and begin to criticize God for not having stopped the choice of the man and woman. However the wonder of it all is as He pronounced the curse upon Creation He added an escape clause. God would not leave the human race forever with no way back to Him but prophesied there would be a Messiah who would one day crush the power of that Old Serpent, the devil, and open a way back to fellowship with Him.

When someone says to me “Why did God allow Adam and Eve to sin when He knew before He created them they would fail?” my answer is “I believe the more important question is why He made Himself the suffering sacrifice to redeem us back to fellowship with Him after they did. Why didn’t He wipe the slate clean and start over again? That would have been the easier thing to do.” While God did know when He created mankind they would quickly fail He also knew before the foundation of the world that to make it right He would offer His only Son as the final and full penalty for sin through the cross (Revelation 13:8). On Easter Sunday we celebrate the central core of the Christian experience; the bodily resurrection of Christ from the grave. In raising Himself from the dead (John 2:19) He fully finished the work of Genesis 3:15 destroying the ability of the Great Serpent to stop God’s full plan of redemption. God the Father has not only redeemed us but made us heirs to Him. (Romans 8:17). That depth of love cannot be fully comprehended but gives hope that He will never leave us or forsake us. While sin managed to slither into the world creating great catastrophe Christ, the cross and its consummation crushed the serpent’s head giving us a way back to to full fellowship with God. The serpent brought fear and bondage to the entire human race. Then God’s Son stepped down among us liberating us from the power of Satan. Now it is the serpent that is afraid.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

The Power of the Cross

For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1st Corinthians 1:22-24 (New American Standard Bible)

I recall a story a pastor shared about a young woman who went to a park close to where she lived to share the Gospel with passersby. At one point she began speaking with a man and shared the gospel story with him. The man became irate at the name of Jesus and began railing on her. “Don’t talk to me about Jesus and how I need to be forgiven of my sins!” he said heatedly. “How do you know it’s true anyway?” The young lady who was a new Christian herself responded with Romans 10:9. “Sir, all I know is what the Bible says, that if we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts God raised Him from the dead we will be saved.” The man nearly exploded. “And who gave you the right to put your reality on others?” The girl replied patiently, “Sir, all I know is the Bible says if we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts God raised Him from the dead we will be saved.” The man continued his rant against God and this woman who answered all his questions and accusations with “Sir, all I know is the Bible says if we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts God raised Him from the dead we will be saved.” The man finally threw up his hands in exasperation and nearly shouted, “Is that all you have to say to any argument against this superstition? I can’t deal with your narrow mindedness anymore!” and he stormed away.

The next day the young woman returned to the park to share Jesus with those who wanted to listen when she saw this same man approaching her. Her heart dropped as she prepared for another verbal onslaught. “I need to speak to you about what you said to me yesterday” he said when he reached her. “I wrestled with those words all night and I’ve come to the conclusion I do need to confess Jesus Christ and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. Would you tell me how I can do that?” The young woman was able to pray with the man who believed on Christ and that God had indeed raised Him from the dead; and he was immediately transformed into a new man by the Spirit of Christ.

When we share Christ crucified, in love, we are tapping into the full power of heaven for there is nothing more powerful than that message. We are the messenger and the Holy Spirit does the hard work of revealing to the lost their need for close relationship with God the Father. The simplicity of God’s message is dynamic. Simple will not be better in all situations and we can do nothing of ourselves to bring any change to the human heart. But in the case of the cross its message is powerful enough to soften and redeem the hardest heart.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Truth, Justice and the Godly Way©

And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” Revelation 5:11, 12 (New American Standard Bible)


If you’re old enough to recall the 1950s then you may remember the half-hour television show “Super Man.” He was known as the “Man of Steel” and could do most anything to catch law breakers without being injured. He was the hero of America and as the show’s beginning narration went he protected “truth, justice and the American way.” He was a super hero who could always be called on to right the wrong done in his city of “Metropolis.”

As we see what is happening in the world any normal person can’t help but be alarmed. Truth is subjective to people’s agendas and justice is being perverted by those with power while the strong prey on the weak physically and financially. Cheaters are prospering. In the last few decades we’ve seen wholesome virtues run into the ground with evil seeming to flourish. Will it ever change for the better and fulfill the longing of human beings in every part of the earth? I have bad news followed by extremely good news. The bad news is as long as sinful men and women control the nations governments that harm and take advantage of its citizens evil will continue. The good news is a Man is coming who will ensure that truth, justice and the Godly way are restored. The Man who will bring this Godly society into being is Jesus Christ.

When He sets up His rule from Jerusalem as the King of the Earth, righteousness will reign. The weak will be protected by the rule of the saints of God (Revelation 20:4). There will be no more harm in all the earth by man or even the animal kingdom (Isaiah 65:25). The good care of mankind will be evident everywhere and people will want for nothing. Those who try to cheat, rob and steal will be dealt with under the righteous rule of the saints of God. It is sad that there is so much harm and cruelty being committed by the human race but in the plan of eternity it is momentary. There will be peace only when the Prince of Peace brings it. We wait with the greatest longing to see Him. Meanwhile let us be patient and think of how God has everything in His sight and nothing moves without His consent. We don’t need the man of steel. Jesus Christ is better, stronger and wiser in the eternal scheme of things. He will bring truth, justice and the Godly way and what He changes for the good will last forever.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Who Does God Think He is?

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?” Job 38:1, 2 (New American Standard Bible)


We all know the story of the most unfortunate man in the Bible; that of the godly man Job. He suffered tremendous agonies at the hand of Satan and became so worn down with travail and grief toward the end of his trial that he began to question God’s motives for his life.

It is surprising how many think they know better than the most powerful, wise Sovereign of the universe. God is perfect in all He does, including His understanding and wisdom. He sees beyond the present to situations that will bring growth that could lead us to seek Him with greater thankfulness and hope. People (including many Christians) are too quick to second guess God’s choices for their lives and the lives of others with such statements as “If I were God I would have done it this way” suggesting He had no clue as to what He was doing. When we look at that statement in its framework the absurdity of it is more than apparent. It could be likened to Peter telling Jesus when the Lord spoke of going to His crucifixion, “Not so, Lord! (Matthew 16:22).” How can you say no to Him if He is Lord?

The Lord goes on to question Job’s flawed concept of Him. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth!” He goes on asking penetrating question after question (Job Chapters 38, 39 & 40) making it plain to Job no one has the authority to rightly judge the things God does for He is the Perfect Ultimate in the entire universe. One of the most penetrating questions from God is “Will you really annul my judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified (Job 40:8)?” Job had nothing more to say except to confess his wrong conclusion of the Lord. God wants us to ask questions about Him but that’s much different than questioning His character. Since He is God He knows all things and how to handle them perfectly. Challenging God is giving darkened counsel with words without knowledge. God’s answer to Job reveals exactly who He is. Asking God who He thinks He is might be turned around with Him asking “Who do you really think I am?”

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

The Other Side of the Coin

But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:7 (New American Standard Bible)

The flipping of a coin to decide an issue goes far back into history. The Romans called the practice “navia aut caput” (ship and head) as a ship was imprinted on one side of the coin and the head of the emperor on the other. The British called it “Cross and Pile.” The cross was on one side of the coin while the bottom part of the die used to cast the coin was on the opposite side.

There are two sides to God’s coin that describes His nature and being. In flipping that coin many people expect it to come up on the “God is Love” side every time, meaning He will overlook sin and rebellion and be a benign Grandfather who looks the other way when sin is present or being practiced. In reality God’s greatest perfection is in His holiness. We cannot even imagine how much He hates sin and how harsh is His judgment of it. Because of that He absolutely abhors any blemish or spiritual impurity and there is always a penalty for it that must be paid.

In the biblical history of mankind the story is told that God’s perfect creation was disfigured by sin and rebellion. In the next thoughts following that tragedy God offers Himself as the ultimate payment for sin (Genesis 3:15) and those who believe in what He did for them will receive clemency while He takes the full brunt of His wrath against it.

While one side of heaven’s coin has a picture on it of God’s great love the other side depicts God’s hatred of sin and His wrath toward it. While He is a God of love He is also a God of justice and demands accountability and a payment for guiltiness. It goes against what human nature desires but if we are to believe in God then it is how His personality and being exist in eternity. He hates sin and will deal with it in the harshest terms. The good news is on the top side of the coin is the head of Christ the King who satisfied God’s demand for justice by shedding His blood on the cross of Calvary. In this interesting commentary when someone flips that coin in faith it comes up heads every time.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

The Right to Title

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36 (New American Standard Bible)

This week I’ve been contemplating the titles accorded to Jesus Christ. They are many and all are self-explanatory. He is:

The Son of God, the Son of Man, the Son of David, the Rose of Sharon, the Bright and Morning Star, the Alpha and the Omega, the Root and the Stem of Jesse, the I Am, the Lamb of God, the Only Begotten of the Father, the Resurrection and the Life, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Counselor, Teacher, Lord, God, Master, Healer, Emmanuel, Savior, the Logos of God, Messiah, Prophet, King of the Jews, the Second Adam, the Christ, High Priest, Head of the Church, the Bride Groom, Chief Corner Stone, the Sheep’s Gate, Firstborn Over all Creation, Anointed One, Judge, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Firstborn from Among the Dead, the Light of the World, the Word of Life, Lord of All, True God, Bread of Life, Author and Finisher of Our Faith, The Holy One of Israel, Deliverer, Good Shepherd, Mediator, Rock, the True Vine, the Way the Truth and the Life, the Door, Friend.

These are titles given to the Ultimate Human Being who is 100% God and 100% man. He is the One who mediates for us to God the Father. Who could stand for us more fully to the Father than another fellow human being? Who can represent us to God more perfectly than the purest human being in the universe? We have an Advocate with the Father who represents us, defends us against satanic attack and promotes our greatest interests all the time. He understands us to the very core because He became one of us and lived with us in this dirty environment called Earth.

His many titles have always been, are now and will forever be. They characterize the Word made flesh. He has demonstrated He has the right to bear them. In all of this there is one title that is particularly personal to us as His church; it is the title of friend. With all His majesty and splendor and regal titles this Mighty King speaks to us as His own beloved. He invites us to dine with Him. He says “I no longer call you servants but friends.” (John 15:15).

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com