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High Adventures at Sea
But the disciples, who were now in the middle of the lake, ran into trouble, for their boat was tossed about by the high winds and heavy seas. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the waves! When the disciples saw him walking on top of the water, they were terrified and screamed, “A ghost!” Then Jesus said, “Be brave and don’t be afraid. I am here!” Peter shouted out, “Lord, if it’s really you, then have me join you on the water!” “Come and join me,” Jesus replied. Matthew 14:24-29 The massive rock rose very high above us as our boat approached the swimming cove.…
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In a Den of Lions
“Issue a decree that every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever, his Kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues, and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:26-27 Did you grow up reading the Little Golden Books? That was how I learned my Bible stories. I remember shopping with my mom and seeing a big kiosk filled with the Golden Books. Mom usually let me get one but choosing just one was the…
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Jonah and God’s Unsettling Grace
But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah 4:4 (NIV) We left off in chapter 3 as God relented and pulled back His judgment against Nineveh. Let’s now look at the last chapter of Jonah. Jonah is about to go pout. God’s grace did not sit well with Jonah. His opening words to the Lord are an exasperated cry, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home?” I would think for a preacher, having the people listen, take the Word of the Lord to heart, and change would provide job security. Why was Jonah so angry? Jonah knows God, and he is…
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Jonah, Returning to the God of Second Chances
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Jonah 3:1-3a (NIV) The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time and Jonah obeyed and went to Nineveh. Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown God’s message to the people is bleak. Time is coming down to the wire; they only have 40 days until they will be overthrown. By overthrown, I don’t mean they might lose a coin toss or be defeated in a short battle. No, they face extinction. The…
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Jonah in the Belly of the Whale
Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. Jonah 1:17-2:1 (NIV) In the second chapter of Jonah, which you can read HERE, we find Jonah drowning in a sea of shame. Here are three things I note in the first few verses for today: The Lord provides for us. Jonah was not saved from death by some random fish. No, “the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah.” God’s timing is perfect. Why three days? My guess is that is how long it took for Jonah to…
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Jonah, the Runaway Prophet
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. Jonah 1:3 (NIV) Today we start a 4 week devotional series on Jonah by looking at Jonah Chapter One, which you can read HERE. (Did you know that there are only 48 verses in the whole book of Jonah?) The year was 1977, I was 14, and the Movie was Star Wars. I did not see very much of the movie that night. My friend Carol and I had…
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5 Stones of Grace
Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:40 (NIV) It’s the classic Bible story of David and Goliath. There is a battle planned between the Philistines and the Israelites. The Philistines giant warrior measures six cubits and a span (roughly 9ft 3 inches) Goliath wears extreme armor and carries powerful weapons. The Israelites put a call out for a brave soul to fight the giant. This is where David comes into the picture. He overhears the threats of Goliath, the giant,…
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A Wee Little Man
“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today”. So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the…
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In a Den of Lions
“I issue a decree that every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever, his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues, and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:26-27 Did you grow up reading the Little Golden Books? That was how I learned my Bible stories. I remember shopping with my mom, and there would be the big kiosk filled with the Golden Books. Mom usually lets me get one…
