Wonderful Jesus!

Isaiah 50:4- “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary…”
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    • What Won’t You Do For God?

      Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on April 21, 2020

      Jonah 1:2-3 – “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 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.” ESV

      Jonah was a prophet of the Lord! I am sure that he had a very solid relationship with God, until he didn’t. God gave Jonah an assignment. He told Jonah to go to Nineveh and to call out against it because they were a bunch of wicked people. Apparently Jonah agreed that they were wicked because he decided that the thing that God had asked of him was too much. He was so determined not to do it, that he thought he could run from the assignment that God had given him. That’s deep!

      Now if we looked at the commentaries, they would probably give us some history of the Ninevites that could give us a possible motive for why Jonah would disobey God. (I think I heard something about Jonah saw what the Ninevites would do to the children of Israel and didn’t want to see them spared). They could even share some insight into Jonah and what he could have possibly been thinking, but here’s the bottom line, he felt that he had come to a place with God where God just asked too much of him. He just couldn’t do it!

      The interesting thing about God is, that He often asks “too much” of all of us. He will eventually require of us the things that keep us from His presence, from a deeper walk with Him, from fully committing our lives to Him. And that can seem like “too much”.

      I can remember praying about the direction I was to go in when I had to leave college with an associate’s degree because I could no longer afford it. I’ll never forget waking from a dream, or being in that in-between sleep stage when I had a conversation with the Lord. He told me to join the Navy. I said something like, “God, you know I don’t like the military, I don’t watch any of the movies about the military, I don’t like dressing like other people, and besides all of that, when they sent me a letter it was addressed to a mister not a miss.” But He continued to talk to me about the Navy and even told me why I should join the Navy. I so didn’t want to! So I said, that’s the devil!

      Then I visited my pastor and shared my experience, but only shared that I was wondering if God had really spoken to me and if I should join the Navy. He said yes, and then proceeded to give me every single reason that God had given me. I want you know, I did not, let me repeat, did not want to join the Navy! Vanity kicked in and I told the Lord that I didn’t want to cut my hair off to join the Navy! I wasn’t happy with the Lord, giving me this assignment.

      You see, God has a plan for each of our lives. And He has things that need to be done for the advancing of His kingdom. And He wants to use us. But!!!!!!! He wants to test our level of obedience to Him. He wants to know, or wants us to know, what is that thing we won’t do for Him, or give up for Him!

      Some people won’t go to church! No matter how much you quote the Bible to them about not forsaking the assembling together, they aren’t going! Not for God and certainly not for you! Some people won’t tithe! They have a million arguments why they won’t. Not can’t, won’t! Some refuse to abstain from certain “known” sins. They are absolutely not giving up their man, their drugs, their profanity, their lying, their gambling, and whatever else in their life that they know He isn’t pleased with! It just isn’t going to happen! That’s called bondage!

      Jonah ended up in the belly of a large fish. All because he refused to go to Nineveh and give them a message from God. We aren’t given details of what that was like, but I am pretty sure it was dark, stinky, claustrophobic, and even humiliating. Like some of the places the disobedient end up today! And while they are there, in that place that they hate, they blame God for their “lot” in life when it is simply their absolute refusal to do what He has asked of them! Go figure!

      Well, even though I had no desire whatsoever to go to the Navy, I immediately contacted a recruiter and became a member of the US Navy! I am so grateful that I obeyed. I met and married my husband while I was in the Navy and discovered that I actually liked being in the Navy. (Not the cutting of my hair-which grew back; and not the dressing like everybody else!) It wasn’t always easy to live in a foreign country so far from home, or to not be able to attend a good Bible teaching, faith believing church; but it was the right decision, because God had told me to go! Actually, when I filled out the application and they asked me why I was joining, I put on the application that God told me to join! You can imagine the psychiatric tests I had to undergo; but I figured if He was sending me, He could overcome that obstacle!

      Jonah discovered in that dark place an awareness of who God is. He said that those who pay regard to vain idols, forsake their hope of steadfast love. That thing that you won’t do, that you won’t give up has become an idol in your life and it keeps you from a hope in Jesus! It hinders His steadfast love from being available to you! It keeps you from the presence of the Lord! Jonah bowed his will, his idol, his disobedience to the obedience of God and was spit out of the fish’s mouth! Are you ready to be vomited out of your dark situation?

      Obeying God isn’t always easy. We heartily think that we, like Abraham, can forsake all to go where He calls us; but let me tell you, most of us really couldn’t do it! You see, if you can’t obey in the small things, you will not be able to obey the hard things that He asks of you. None of us will! And some of these things are just our reasonable service. (Romans 12)

      I hope that there is nothing in my life, no person, no amount of money, no status that is more important to me than obeying God. I don’t know if I have yet been tested in that “one” thing, although I’ve had many tests. In my heart I don’t believe that there is any thing that I won’t do for God. There are a whole lot of things I won’t do for a person, but I trust that I have a yes to His will and to His way resounding loud and clear! And when I miss it, I repent! Some things we don’t get a second chance at like Jonah did.

      Think about it! Is there any thing that you just won’t do for God? Is there anything in your life more important to you than obeying God? Any person? Everything God asks us to give up isn’t because of sin. Sometimes He just wants our “Isaac” so that we can demonstrate that we will do anything for Him! What won’t you do for God? Think about it! It may change your life! Wonderful Jesus!

      Posted in obedience, pleasing God, service | 1 Comment | Tagged Attitude, Believer, disobedience, encouragement, hard times, Jonah, obedience, Sin, victory
    • Leave the Water pot!

      Posted at 3:13 am by wonderfuljesus8, on June 12, 2019

      John 4:28-29- “The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and Smith to the men, ‘Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever i did: is not this the Christ?'”

      Today, I had a lot planned for my evening. But as I was cooking dinner, I got a call from my assistant pastor asking me to accompany her to visit a dear sister in the Lord. Well, I thought a quick visit wouldn’t throw me off too much and I said yes. But it ended up being a much longer visit. In the end, I was more concerned about my sister in the Lord, than my busy schedule and just went with the flow of what God was doing. As I got in my car, the Spirit of God said to my spirit, “sometimes you have to leave the water pot!” I knew exactly what He was saying. And I knew I wanted to share it!

      In this testimony of the Samaritan woman at the well, she had an encounter with Jesus! Jesus began the conversation by asking for water. Now if you are familiar with this encounter, then you know what happened. But that’s not my point. Yet!

      I want to focus on this woman for a minute. She has come to the well to get her water for the day. If we understand biblical times, the women gathered at the well to get their water. But not this woman. She came when she thought it most likely that no one would be there. Not because she was shy, but because she was not a woman loved in the community, but one of a bad reputation.

      Jesus reveals her life to her and to us when He mentions her husbands. And the fact that she was living with a man at that time, made it even less likely that the “good women” of Samaria would want to be bothered with her. But she needed that water!

      Water was precious then, and going to the well to get it was her responsibility. I am pretty sure she needed water to drink, water to cook, to wash her body, to clean her clothes, and every thing else that she needed to do. And even though she didn’t have a husband, she did have a man she was living with, and he needed water too. So here she is at the well coming to take care of something that was an important part of her day-getting the water.

      But after her encounter with Jesus, she got so excited that she knew she had to let the townspeople know. She got so excited she left the water pot because what she needed to do in town became more important than getting water. So when the Holy Spirit spoke this to my spirit, I knew He was reminding me that what I did was more important than what I had to do!! Wow! I needed that reminder today!

      How about you? Do you need a reminder to leave the water pot in your life? What has you so busy and so consumed that you haven’t taken or haven’t felt like you could take the time to be a blessing to someone for the King? Is it your job? Is it your family? Or maybe your project, your school? Whatever it is, Jesus understands the importance of what you have to do, just as with this woman. But He stopped her in the middle of her responsibility and asked her to offer that water over to Him. In return, He promised her living water. She was so excited to meet the Messiah and have Him speak into her life, that her natural need took a backseat to her spiritual need!

      I encourage you today to allow the spiritual things in life to overtake the natural things in life when He asks it of you. You will never regret it! The Samaritan woman left the pot but saw her entire city come to the Messiah! I left my water pot and heard the Lord in essence say, “Well done!” Just imagine what leaving your waterpot behind today could do for you! Wonderful Jesus!

      Posted in Evangelism, Jesus, pleasing God, service | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Evangelism, Jesus, Samaritan Woman
    • Acceptable in His Sight!

      Posted at 3:55 am by wonderfuljesus8, on May 7, 2019

      Psalms 19:14- ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.’

      A lot has been going on. I am sure that you can say the same; but those things have kept me from blogging. As a matter of fact, my blog will be short tonight!

      As I have been working these past few weeks, I have experienced many of the same challenges of the past that usually cause me to become weary. And although I don’t like these things any more today than I have in the past, I have made a conscience decision to watch what I say and to watch how I think about them.

      In the above scripture, David wrote that he wanted the words that he spoke and the thoughts that were in his heart to please God. I’ve said that before. And I meant it when I said it. But how easily it is for me to get into a situation and to forget that! After all, it is normal to complain, to worry, to moan and groan. But God isn’t pleased with that action and therefore, we have to do it differently than what is normal.

      So, although I may share my experiences today, I am more aware of the way that I share them. I endeavor to be careful about who the focus of my conversation is about and how I say what I say. But more importantly I work to keep my heart right. Because Jesus said that it is what comes out of a person that defiles him. (Matthew 15:18-19) I know we can be defiled by our environment, but Jesus said that slander, lying, and even murder comes from the heart. I don’t want to be guilty of those things.

      So I have made a conscious decision to watch my words. Recently as I was having a conversation with a colleagues she said to me, “I like the way you said that!” Instead of referring to students as “bad” I refer to their behavior as unacceptable or different! Instead of speaking ill of others, I either don’t comment or at least try to say something positive. Sometimes it isn’t easy, but I’m allowing the Holy Spirit to assist me and I am getting better.

      It isn’t easy to let my words and thoughts be acceptable to God because He isn’t fooled by anything. But I truly want them to be.

      My Class Creed says it this way:

      Watch your thoughts; for they become words

      Watch your words, for they become actions

      Watch your actions for they become habits

      Watch your habits for they become character

      Watch your character for becomes your destiny. (Don’t know author)

      I have a destiny in Christ Jesus. To please the Father. To be acceptable in His sight! So I must get the victory in every area of my life, daily! And so must you! Wonderful Jesus!!

      Posted in Attitude, pleasing God, the tongue, Victorious Living | 6 Comments
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