Misplaced Hope

At CONNECT we are in the second week of our series, "I Will Not" in which we are discussing why it is difficult at times to follow God. This study in based in the book of Jonah and this week's message is entitled "Misplaced Hope". The focus here is that it becomes difficult to follow God when we place our hope in things that cannot satisfy or bring completion to our lives. Being that our lives then lack hope, we say "I will not" when God calls for faith. The following is a summary of "I Will Not" part two...

I have at times placed my hope in the wrong places, people,things and occurrences. This has led to frustration and a lack of effectiveness, even to the point where saying no to God is a temptation. When we do this, we lose the hope that trouble will turn to good. We also lose our hope in God and say, “I WILL NOT”. Though Jonah may not be the perfect example of faith and courage, in him we can see a man that placed the hope of his survival in the mercy of God. This is revealed in his prayer recorded in Jonah chapter two.

We observe here that Jonah still had hope because he has not given himself to the worship of idols.

o He acknowledged that his distress was from God. V.1-3
o He had hope that he again would be in the presence of God. V.4
o He had hope of his life being spared. V.5-7

We also see in a key statement from Jonah that when you trust in that which cannot help, you are forfeiting the hope that comes from a loving relationship with God. In Jonah’s day his issue may have been worshiping other gods, but it can also apply to us today when we trust in anything other than God. Instead of this we must, when in the middle of a difficulty, go to the middle of God’s Word. Psalm 118:8 states, "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man"(ESV).

We must also remember to put our trust in the Holiness of Christ. As Peter reminds us in his epistle. He writes in 1 Peter 3:13-17, "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil"(ESV).

Hoping you will say "I Will" to God,

Pastor Paul

Jonah Video

"I Will Run"

There have been times in my life that I have had a hard time following God. In fact, there have been times when I did not like what He was asking of me and I simply wanted to quit.There have also been seasons of discontent that only ended when I realized that my true source of joy and satisfaction comes from being in the presence of God and enjoying who He is, not only what He does.

We all are challenged in many different ways and these challenges make it difficult to follow God. These challenges come from who we are as humans and the fact that we live in a culture that, for the most part, has rejected God.I think that it is also hard to obey God because we believe the lie that moving away from God will produce satisfaction. I know that this sounds weird to the ears of a Christian. It sounds like something a Christian would never think or dare to attempt. However if we are honest with ourselves this silly idea is very much what many choose to believe.

This weird little lie states that I can disobey God and He will find someone else to do His work. The dangerous part of this is that it is somewhat true, yet there are somethings that God will only use you to do. For example, only you can be the father or mother to your child. This lie also tempts us to believe that we can escape His inspiring influence. The truth here is that when God calls you He will not give up so easily. Finally and perhaps the most stunning, this lie tells us that
we can flee the “face” of God without considering the real result. Consider the meaning of “the face of”. It means the following, with the corresponding Scripture passages:

- Acceptance - Gen. 32:20
- Devotion - Psalm 27:8
- It is symbolic of the exposure of one’s nature and character.
(Jewish Literature)

So the challenge for us becomes to believe the truth about being away from the face of God. Being away from the face of God means...

- Being away from His communication. Deut. 31:16-18
- That God will ignore your request for help. Psalm 13:1-2
- It is compared to a death…..Psalm 143:7

With all this in mind my prayer for all of us is that the presence of God becomes the most precious part of our lives. Psalm 17:15 states, "As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness"(ESV).


May you be blessed,

Pastor Paul

The Story of Jonah as Told by The Cutest Little Girl

Another Year

Ever wonder why we celebrate a new year and gladly say good-bye to the previous? My wife asked me that question recently and I did not have a answer. Was last year really that bad that we are glad to see it go? Was it really that good that we would want to hold on to it? Is a year an "it"? Does it really matter? Did the world somehow change and the stroke of midnight on December 31st? No the world is still the same. The world has the same beauty and the same things that make it not so beautiful. That is the case no matter what year it is.

What about you? How have you changed over the last year? Closer to God? Are you more like the person you want to be. Perhaps you are less. So here is a question, what does God think about your 2010 and the person you have become through its events? Take a few moments to think and pray this over and you may be amazed with what you discover. My prayer for you is that you would know the mind of God for your 2011 and that you will be a part of what makes our world beautiful.

Stopping to reflect,

Paul

Thanksgiving in the Bible

Click on the above title and it will take you to a full article about Biblical thanksgiving. Use some of it in your devotionals as we celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday. The article is from the website biblestudytools.com.

Thanking God for you all,

Pastor Paul

Going Alive - Mark Ch.16

I have been learning to look behind my desires. What I mean by this is that I am asking why I want certain things in life. I am discovering my true needs, those behind the ones on the surface, are the things that God wants me to have. I believe that this is the case for all of us. Knowing this will help us look for them in Christ and move us away from looking to find life in things that lead to death. Below are the things that I believe are behind most if not all of the surface desires of our hearts and how God has given them to us in Christ.

Three things that God has promised through Jesus Christ that we often look for in dead places.

1. Rest: Matthew 11:28-29
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you,
and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

2. Truth: John 18:37-38
Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world--to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.Pilate said to him, "What is truth?"After he had said this,he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him.

3. Freedom: Romans 8:1-2
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in
Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”