devotion time

 My devotion: 

Each year, our team leader asks us to volunteer for devotions.  Each day we have a devotion after breakfast to start our day off right.

Here is mine:

I have been struggling with preparing a devotion for this trip. I wrote this Monday before we left. I don't know why and the only reason I can say is that we are doing what God wants and the devil isn't liking it at all! He has been distracting me with busyness. The devil loves to get us to focus on the little that's wrong, so we miss the big picture of all that is right.

Over the last few months, the story of Jonah keeps coming up. On the radio, with past sermons I listen to and the finally this past Sunday at church. I was thinking, "Oh great, not another Jonah story." But then as I was listening to my pastor, a light bulb came on. Jonah was a regular person, just like me. He was human. 

We can learn a lot from Jonah.  When God spoke to him, his heart wasn't there, and he ran because he was afraid. I have done this many times. I am a runner. But what we can learn from him and his story is this: WE NEED TO LISTEN, STEP UP AND SPEAK UP.

When God first spoke to Jonah in Chapter 1, he was scared and he went in the opposite direction. Chapter 1, vs 3 says "But Jonah ran away from the Lord to Tarshish." He thought that if he went the opposite way God wanted him to go, that God wouldn't ask him anymore. But thank goodness that God will give us a second chance. 

He asked Jonah a second time in Chapter 3, vs 1 and this time Jonah listened. "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time." You will either step into a great calling or step into a place of your choosing, but you can't do both.

Once Jonah listened in chapter 3, he stepped up and obeyed God. Whenever God asks us to go and follow him, it won't be easy. It will always be a challenge. And Jonah had a challenge. The town he was to go to was very bad with sin.

Then in verse 4, Jonah spoke up. This is the hardest part for me, to speak up. I am afraid I will say the wrong thing, or not say enough. In Bob Goff's book "Everybody always", he says, "'he made a whole world of neighbors. We call it earth, but God just calls it a really big neighborhood. What often keeps us from loving our neighbors is fear of what will happen if we do. Frankly, what scares me more is thinking about what will happen if we don't. Being fearless isn't something we can decide to be in a moment, but fear can be overcome with time and the right help. We can bring all the game we've got, but only Jesus has the power to call out of us the kind of courage it takes to live the life He talked about."

But God will give us the words he wants us to say. Jonah only said 7 words: "In 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed." WOW! Not a word about God or God's love. But God gave him those words and he used them and it changed the hearts of the people in that wicked town, even the King.

Your mistakes and circumstances do not define you. Change starts with you. John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

When we are in conflict, this gives us the opportunity to serve others, glorify God through our actions and to become more like Christ. Jonah was conflicted, but once he listened to God and stopped running from him, he was able to step up, and speak out with God's guidance. He was a missionary for God. WE can learn alot from Jonah.

Bendiciones,