Van Moody's Blog, page 4

It’s Not about Money

Tithing
is a controversial topic in churches nationwide today. For some, tithing has
always been a natural part of their church membership and spiritual life. For
those who are considering (or reconsidering) this practice, however, it’s not
always so simple.

There’s
the question of what the church will do with your money; there’s the question
of if letting go of ten percent of your income each month is feasible; there’s
the question of if this is simply an Old Testament law, or if it pertains to
the church today. Many times, people want to give, but they’re simply unsure of
whether or not they’re truly called to do so. The purpose for giving can seem
vague or mysterious.

I
believe that tithing isn’t about money at all.

Let
me explain: God doesn’t need our money. The Creator of the universe can do
anything He wants, with or without our finances. So why did He institute the
giving of the tithe? Because it’s a heart issue. Tithing isn’t about our money;
it’s about the state of our heart. God wants to cultivate a heart of trust in
Him.

You
see, tithing isn’t just giving one tenth of what we have; it’s giving the first
tenth. Exodus 34:26 commands the Israelites, “As you harvest your crops, bring
the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God.” To
tithe the first ten percent of our income requires that we live by faith that
He will provide, stretch, and bring abundance through the other ninety percent.
We have to trust that God is worth our best, and take the obedient step of
giving it to Him.

Here’s
another fundamental reason God requires the first tenth: by nature, God is
first. He is pre-eminent, which means before the beginning, He was there.
Genesis 1:1, says, “In the beginning, God…” You see, God cannot be second,
because He’s inherently first. It’s who He is. For Him to accept less than
first tenth would send the message that God isn’t who He says He is. When we
give Him our best, we’re affirming the eternal truth that He is First, and that
He is worthy of our worship and our faith.

In
Malachi 3, God gives a challenge to the Israelites who have been cheating Him
of the tithes and offerings due Him. He says in Malachi 3:8-12,

“You have cheated me of the tithes and
offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been
cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be
enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s
Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing
so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the
test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and
disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Then all nations will call you
blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of
Heaven’s Armies.”

There
is a string between our hearts and what we do with our wallets. The reason God
asks for a tenth of our money isn’t because He needs it; it’s because He’s
giving us a chance to demonstrate that He is first in our hearts.

It
goes even deeper than that, however: in the Old Testament, firstborn animals
were either sacrificed, if they were clean, or redeemed, if they were unclean
(Number 18:15-17). This was a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice and
redemption story. John 3:16 says that God gave His only Son, Jesus, so that we
could have eternal life. Jesus was the clean Firstborn, that brought redemption
to an unclean people. Through His sacrifice, we are redeemed. For this reason,
you can say that Jesus is God’s “tithe”—an example for us to follow.

God
gave first; out of gratitude and love for Him, we are to give our best, our
first, our tithe. It’s a matter of the heart—is God first in our lives? Then
we’ll tithe gladly and with confidence in His provision!

The Drama is Worth It

It’s no secret that
relationships with others are not easy. Most of our hurt, disappointments, and
brokenness is a result of interactions with other human beings. We often leave
these relationships in an attempt to minimize the drama. Even though this seems
like the easier route, it’s imperative to remember this truth: unity among
believers is paramount to God.

Let’s take a look at
how God tells us to manage a disagreement with a brother in Christ, in Matthew
18:15-20:

“If your brother sins against you, go
and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you
have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two
others along with you, that every charge may be established by the
evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell
it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him
be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to
you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of
you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them
by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my
name, there am I among them.”

We see from this
Scripture that the solution isn’t to immediately withdraw and forsake the
brother. Instead, there’s a good amount of intervention and accountability that
needs to take place.

God prizes unity in
the body of Christ above our personal comfort or ease. Jesus even taught that,
if you’re in the middle of worshipping, and you remember disunity between
yourself and your brother, that you’re to stop what you’re doing and go fix
that first.

Jesus taught that,
even if you’re in the middle of worship, and you recall disunity between you
and someone else, you’re supposed to stop what you’re doing and go be
reconciled to him first (Matthew 5:23-24).

Why have we
overlooked this principle of unity so often? A large part of the reason for
this is because we’re influenced daily by a culture whose highest priority is
the individual. The world says that you and your needs are all that really
matters—that we can be successful, fulfilled, and whole without anyone else.
This is the same mentality that says, “All I need is me and God!”

If this were true,
we would see it in the life of Jesus Himself, wouldn’t we? However, what do we
see? Jesus had 12 disciples throughout His ministry. He was constantly in
community with his parents, the Jewish teachers, and others. So if the Son of
God needed community here on earth, why do we think we are above it?

The truth is that to
be a believer is to be bound in community with others. These relationships
aren’t perfect on this side of heaven: they’re messy, frustrating, and
saddening. It’s often more than we can handle on our own. However, God calls us
to stay in them, because the drama is worth it—unity is worth it.

So…who do you need
to be reconciled with today?

Can We Grow in Unhealthy Places?

Can growth happen in
an unhealthy place?

Most of us have been
in—or are even currently experiencing—a season of life that’s not healthy.
Maybe it’s a work environment, a health situation, a suffering relationship…the
possibilities are vast. When we find ourselves in these seasons, we often wonder
if God can grow us, or bring anything good out of, these times.

The answer to this
question is found throughout Scripture, in the lives of God’s people. Let’s
take a look at just a few.

Joseph’s story is
found in Genesis 37. From the ages of 13 to 30, he is imprisoned, enslaved,
falsely accused, and forgotten in Egypt. He spent over a decade in what most
people would consider a very unhealthy place. And yet, what do we find? These
are the years that God is preparing Joseph to be second in command of all
Egypt. In the prison, Joseph is learning to trust God and growing in
leadership.

How about Abraham?
God calls him to leave his hometown and everything familiar, to venture into
dangerous places. Sometimes, the people he encounters don’t have good intentions
towards him. This isn’t necessarily what we would consider a healthy journey,
is it? However, God used this journey to prepare Abraham to become a father of
many nations.

Think about Moses: a
murderer, living forty years on the backside of the desert. God calls him not
only to re-enter the land where his crime took place, but to go to Pharoah and
ask for the Israelites’ deliverance. Moses wasn’t what we might consider the
healthiest person, in the healthiest situation, to lead God’s people. However, God
was always preparing him for it.

Lastly, think about
Jesus: He was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.
Yet, out of this bleak, hard place, Jesus came out with power to start His
ministry.

Do you see the
pattern? God ordains us to be in unhealthy places for our own growth. He also
allows us to go through hard times so that the world sees His light in us. Look
at Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see
your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” When does
light shine the brightest? In life’s darkest places. God places us in
situations, environments, and around people who may not be the healthiest
because these are the very places and people who need Him the most!

So often, we focus
on the place—where we are (and would rather not be)—rather than focusing on
God. You see, the question is not, “God, why am I here?” The question to ask in
unhealthy places is, “God, what are you doing? And how can I cooperate with
that?”

God has a purpose to
the unhealthy places He’s leading you through. The way we can make the most of
these purposes is by abiding in Him and continually seeking His wisdom. When we
do this, we’ll find ourselves growing—and even thriving—in unhealthy places.

Tithing Isn’t about Money

Perhaps the most
controversial biblical issue today for believers is the issue of tithing. Many
Christians struggle with this principle, either because they don’t understand
why they should give 10% (or more), or because they don’t know the root and
purpose of doing so. In Scripture, we find answers to both of these questions.

It’s important to note that giving is a
principle present throughout the Old Testament, as well as the new. In Exodus
34:19-20, the Lord gives the Israelites a command concerning their livestock:
“All that open the womb are mine, all your male livestock, the firstborn of cow
and sheep. The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or
if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your
sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.”

Why did God differentiate among certain
types of animals? Sheep and cows were considered “clean” animals in the Old
Testament. God asked for these firstborn animals to be sacrificed to him.
Unclean animals, such as donkeys, were to be redeemed. What does this mean? A
clean animal would need to be given in its place.

We’ll see this principle of sacrifice and
redemption throughout the rest of Scripture. When the Israelites are slaves in
Egypt, the final plague is the death of the firstborn. God commands His people
to kill a spotless lamb, and spread its blood over their doorposts. Why is this
the method God chose? Because the sacrificed lamb is meant to redeem, or stand
in the place of, the firstborn child in each Israelite household!

These examples are only pointing forward
to the biggest redemption story of all. In John 1:29, John the Baptist sees
Jesus and cries out, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!” Jesus died in our place, because we were not clean. He, however, never
sinned. He was the only eligible sacrifice to stand in our place and redeem us.
Because God gave Jesus as the sacrifice, we didn’t have to die. We, like the
Israelite firstborn children in Egypt, were able to keep living because of the
blood of the Lamb.

So what does all of this have to do with
tithing? When we get down to it, tithing has very little to do with money. It’s
a heart issue. God gave everything He had in Jesus—Jesus was his “tithe,” if
you will. In the New Testament, we see tithing as a way to express our
gratitude, surrender, and trust to God. It’s really a matter of what comes
first in our lives. If we trust God and worship Him fully, we will give
joyfully. If, however, God isn’t first in our lives, we’ll be tempted to hold
onto our money and other resources.

 God held nothing back. Jesus gave all of
Himself. When we give financially, we’re showing God that He comes first—that
His sacrifice and redemption of our souls is worthy of everything we have.
Tithing isn’t about money—it’s about whether or not God comes first in your
life!

So…how will you give?

God is Passionately in Love with You

There are numerous places in Scripture where we see a
representation of the love of God through human beings. Sometimes, we see God’s
righteousness in the decrees of a godly king. Sometimes, we see the
faithfulness of a prophet, pointing to the ultimate faithfulness of God. The
characteristic of God I want to focus on in this post, however, is his
passionate, pursuing love. Perhaps the greatest metaphorical representation of
this love is found in the book Song of Solomon. Take a look at Chapter 5 with
me:

I slept,
but my heart was awake.

A sound! My beloved is knocking.

“Open to me, my sister, my love,

    my dove, my perfect one,

for my head is wet with dew,

    my locks with the drops of the night.”

I had put off my garment;

    how could I put it on?

I had bathed my feet;

    how could I soil them?

My beloved put his hand to the latch,

    and my heart was thrilled within me.

I arose to open to my beloved,

    and my hands dripped with myrrh,

my fingers with liquid myrrh,

    on the handles of the bolt.

I opened to my beloved,

    but my beloved had turned and gone.

My soul failed me when he spoke.

I sought him, but found him not;

    I called him, but he gave no answer. (Song of
Solomon 5:2-6)

Song of Solomon is a book of poetic literature. It’s unique
in its representation of God, along with other, similar, wisdom literature.
While this book doesn’t expressly come out and say, “God is love!” it displays
this principle through the vessels of the Lover and the Beloved.

We see, by studying
this book in context with the rest of Scripture, that the Lover represents God.
Just as the Lover pursues and seeks out his beloved—just as he knocks,
beckoning her to trust him and come out—so God pursues those he loves. He sends
His son to save the world, and beckons us to open our hearts to His
salvation—His love.

We, likewise, are
the Beloved. In the passage above, the Beloved finds a host of excuses for why
she can’t—or won’t—get up and open the door for her Lover. She’s tired; she’s
already bathed; she doesn’t want to get up again. Then, finally, when she opens
the door, she’s left with nothing but the myrrh dripping from the bolt—the
remnants of a Lover who has departed.

How many of us are
like this with God? We are satisfied to experience only the remnants of Him,
but aren’t trusting enough to fully open the door of our hearts to Him? Many in
our world today are content never to truly encounter God, but simply to hold
onto ideas about Him they’ve gleaned from their experience—ideas that may or
may not be correct.

The truth is that
the majority of the world has false assumptions about who God really is. This
stops them from opening themselves up to His love; after all, how can you open
up to somebody, and trust somebody, whom you don’t know? So many don’t
correctly understand who God is—the truth in His Word. Hence, we have this
picture of God pursuing us, but being ultimately rejected.

Why does God keep
pursuing? Because He is love. That’s the truth of Scripture. 1 John 4:8 says,
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Did you know that
the largest portion of those who have left the faith cite the reason as a lack
of understanding of its tenants? God has been grossly misrepresented in our
world. We attribute actions, words, and ideas to Him that have nothing to do
with His Word in the first place!

The truth is that,
just like the Lover in Song of Solomon, God is passionately in love with you.
He pursues you; He knocks at the door of your heart; but He won’t force His way
in. God is asking us to know and trust Him—to experience Him more fully each
day. However, only when we know who He is can we truly open our hearts to His
love.

Once we read His
Word and discover His identity, we can begin to trust Him.

Paul writes these
words in Ephesians 3: 14-21, which perfectly sum up our desire for you, and
God’s desire for us:

For this
reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family[ c ] in
heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his
glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his
Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may
have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and
length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that
surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of
God.

Now
to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or
think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.

Read God’s Word.
Learn who He truly is. Open the door to the Lover of your heart, for He loves
you passionately.

Commit or Cohabitate

The Difference Between Marriage and Living Together

When I was in college, my friends and I had a goal of saving
a certain amount of money. Once we’d invested, saved, and accumulated this
amount, we’d each invest in a fancy, high-end watch. My watch of choice was a
Rolex—I knew they appreciated in value each year after you bought one, and I
loved the design.

One day, in the middle of an overseas trip to Asia, I saw a
stand by the road selling Rolex watches for $39.99. It was quickly apparent,
when I picked up the watch, that it was a counterfeit—the clasp didn’t work,
and the watch was much lighter than a genuine Rolex.

I share this story because it illustrates a key difference
in another area of life: marriage. When we talk about marriage versus
co-habitation, we must remember that people come from all different types of
backgrounds and belief systems. For the purpose of this discussion,
co-habitation is defined as living together, and sharing sexual intimacy, with
someone to whom you aren’t married.

Marriage and cohabitation are very different—as different as
a genuine Rolex watch from a counterfeit. Co-habitation is a cheap imitation of
marriage. It looks like it, but has none of the commitment or foundation or
motivation. It’s reported that, in our present day, 65% of marriages start out
with couples co-habitating.

Generationally, this has become more prevalent and
culturally acceptable. There are currently about 9 million households
co-habitating in the United States today. It’s clear that this notion, which
God’s Word expressly forbids, is on the rise. But why? Because the cultural
myth says that “trying it out” before marriage is actually the wise course of
action. If partners can “test drive” their spouse for compatibility,
satisfaction, and other aspects of a relationship, they think, they’ll be surer
when the time actually comes that they can stay together for good.

The problem with the “try it out” myth is that it’s
scientifically untrue. “The Co-Habitation Effect” is the name researchers have
given to this mindset: co-habitation, in the long run, results in more
divorces, and less marriages, than waiting until being married to live
together.

We see that marriage cannot be test-driven. It requires a
full commitment. Marriage, by God’s design, is a vow to serve, and take care
of, your spouse. Genesis 2:24 says, “For this reason a man shall leave his
father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
The plan was always for man and wife to be committed, and then live together.
In the New Testament, we see this principle upheld under the new covenant:
Hebrews 13:4 says, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage
bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” God
crafted marriage to be motivated by selflessness.

Co-habitation, on the other hand, is fueled by selfishness.
It says, “Meet my needs and make me happy, or I’ll move on and find someone
better.” There’s no obligation, or responsibility, to stay in the relationship.
There’s no impetus for true, God-honoring selflessness, because the conditions
of co-habitation are entirely satisfaction-based. If each partner doesn’t feel
that they are happy and contented, they’ll simply move on to another partner.

The Kingdom of God operates by sowing and reaping. In other
words, if there are no deposits, you can’t expect to withdraw anything from the
account. In John 12:24, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a
grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies,
it bears much fruit.” This same principle applies to the commitment of
marriage: We must die—make the investment and deposit into the marriage, with
full commitment to serving our spouse—to see a return.

Marriage brings about a beautiful harvest of character, and
glorifies God; but in order to see these blessings come about, we have to do it
the way God designed. Co-habitation, while it might look similar to the genuine
article, doesn’t bring about the blessings, results, growth, and glory to God
that marriage does. It’s better to save up for the real thing than to settle
for the cheap version sold on the street.

Destiny is a Decision: An Important Lesson from the Last Supper

You are one decision away from a totally different life.

…a different reality.

…a different state of mind.

…a different destiny.

What decision is that? It’s the decision to go all in for
God.

2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of
the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong
support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” We see that
God is looking for those who want more of Him. God wants to show Himself to us
in a greater way; but He won’t pour more of Himself into someone who wants
less!

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve
probably experienced what it feels like to be “half-in” for God. It’s easy to
get into the routine of going through the motions, showing up on Sundays, and
becoming seemingly content with the bare minimum. However, the call of God—and
the salvation of Jesus Christ—is about so much more.

In the story of the Last Supper, we see Jesus offer His
disciples a decision. Matthew 26:26-29 says, “Now as they were eating, Jesus
took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples,
and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and
when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it,
all of you, for this is my blood of the[c]covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell
you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I
drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

The decision on the table is this: if we eat and drink of
Jesus’s body and blood, we enter into covenant with Him. We accept His
sacrifice on our behalf, and we accept His salvation. Jesus went all in—He gave
all of Himself for us. This covenant requires that we, in turn, submit
ourselves to His lordship.

So we see that our destiny is not a mystery—we aren’t left
wondering how to achieve God’s plan for our lives. Destiny is a decision. God wants
to show Himself to us in a greater way—but we have to let Him. We have to
surrender all of ourselves, and go all in for God.

Two Types of Runaways

Recently, at The
Worship Center, we studied the story of Jonah in the Old Testament. It’s easy
to see how the disobedient prophet, who travels in the opposite direction from
God’s instructions, is running from God. However, I want to examine a deeper
truth hidden in this story.

We see that the
mariners on Jonah’s ship—the crew sailing to Tarshish—respond to God’s
tumultuous storm by praying to their own gods. The captain tells Jonah to “call
on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish”
(Jonah 1:6). We see that this crew is running from God by means of rebellion: they,
like the Prodigal Son in Jesus’s parable, are disconnected from the true God
altogether. They worship other, false gods, and don’t acknowledge His
authority.

However, we see that
Jonah, one of God’s own people, is also running—he’d tried to do everything
right, and found himself falling short. When he found that he couldn’t obey the
Lord in his own power, the Bible says, “But Jonah arose 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 from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3).

Many people in the
church today have tried to do everything right—to be enough on their own.
Instead of asking for the Lord’s strength, they run from Him, and hide, when they
find ourselves inadequate.

No matter which camp you fall into—no
matter how you’re running—the story of Jonah shows us that God pursues us. We
see Him rescue Jonah and restore him; we also see God bring the sailors unto
Himself: “Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray,
O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not
charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it
pleased You.” So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and
the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared
the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and
took vows” (Jonah 1:14-16).

Only the Good News of the Gospel sets us
free. Through Jesus’s death and resurrection on our behalf, we have the
assurance that we can make it through the storms of life—not because of what we
do or don’t do, but because of what He already did for us. This grace, this
unconditional acceptance, is granted to undeserving people by an unobligated Giver.
Jonah didn’t deserve a second chance; neither did the crew; however, no matter
how people run away from Him, God pursues them.

Have you been running from God lately, in
either of these two ways? What’s stopping you from trusting God? Your freedom
begins when you turn and accept the unconditional grace that He offers. We all
have the wonderful gift of not having to run anymore, through the life, death,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When God Sends a Storm out of Love

The Relentless Grace in the Story of Jonah

Most of us are at least marginally familiar
with the story of Jonah: a prophet runs from God; a big fish swallows him; and
eventually, reaches the people group God called him to prophesy to, resulting
in their repentance. Jonah’s story is a small excerpt in the midst of the Old Testament;
and yet, if we look deeper, we see the entirety of the Gospel presented in its
few, short chapters.

Many times, Christian pastors and preachers
emphasize the logistics of the story: is this account actually true? When did
Jonah truly repent? What kind of people were the Ninevites? What kind of animal
was the “big fish”? However, allow me to suggest that the primary message of this
story doesn’t revolve around Jonah at all; this story is meant to show us,
clearly and indisputably, the depth of God’s endless grace.

“But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea,
and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken
up. Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and
threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to
lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of
the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.” (Jonah 1:4-5)

Our first inclination may be to view this storm as a sign of
God’s anger: after all, Jonah deliberately disobeyed His orders. The prophet
boarded a ship in the opposite direction from Nineveh (I’m sure we all have
been in that place before). God has ample reason, at this point, to send a
vindictive storm Jonah’s way. However, I want to look at this storm from a
different perspective. Rather than a storm of angry retribution, it is a storm
of intervening grace. God is pursuing Jonah, giving him a second chance to turn
and heed His voice.

An intervention is for an individual who is a danger to
himself—someone who’s headed down a destructive path, but is ignorant and
unwilling to see the pain they’re causing everyone around them. In this story,
God doesn’t leave Jonah to his runaway lifestyle; instead, He does the only
thing that can get Jonah’s attention: he stages an intervention.

Could it be that the storm is indeed sent out of love, and not
wrath? Let’s take a closer look at the effects of the storm.

“And he said to them, “Pick me up
and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I
know that this great tempest is because of me.” Nevertheless the men
rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to
grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to
the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for
this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You,
O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” So they picked up Jonah and
threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the
men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to
the Lord and took vows.” (Jonah 1:12-16)

Isn’t this amazing?
In the midst of Jonah’s rebellion, God is drawing these faithless men unto
Himself. Not only is He giving Jonah—His prophet, an Israelite—a second chance;
but God’s purpose includes providing these Gentiles with salvation, as well.
Perhaps you’ve seen this in your own life: a time when someone who was far from
God had a hand in bringing you closer to Him, or vice versa: a time when you
felt distant from God, and saw Him use you, nevertheless, to draw others to Himself.

We see that Jonah’s storm is proof that God
will spare no expense to go after those who run away from Him. God intervenes
on our behalf, pursuing us, giving us second chance after second chance. He was
in control of Jonah’s story the entire time, and yet He chose grace and love
over wrath and abandonment.

Out of every world religion, Christianity is
the only belief system where God becomes man. Just as Jonah was in the belly of
the fish for three days, Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, died for our
sins and lay in the tomb for three days. This was the ultimate act of grace and
intervention on our behalf. Though we couldn’t save ourselves on our own
strength—we couldn’t survive the storm of sin that we’d brought upon ourselves
by running away from God—He provided a way out, giving His own life in our place.

We see that both the storm in Jonah and the
cross of Christ are meant to liberate man from himself. God’s way of freeing
Jonah, and His offer of salvation to us, both require a surrender of will and
self. The deepest form of slavery is our own self-dependence. We can only
experience true spiritual freedom when we accept that God is God, and submit to
His will. Real life begins when we transfer our trust from our own efforts to
the efforts of Jesus. And God, in His infinite wisdom, knows that, at times,
the only way to bring us to a place of surrender is to send a gracious storm.  

Realizing The Motives Of Writing A Term Paper 5 home work

You don’t have to have the way of life calls for of Paris Hilton to have to have extra dollars these days. According to Credit score Action, the complete British isles private financial debt was 1,122 billion, a advancement of about 10.five%25 around the previous yr and in the Uk and each individual adult in the British isles has an typical of four.one credit rating playing cards in their wallet.

So what’s the overcome for the guilt excursion. 1st and foremost, place your rational hat on when thinking about this challenge. I can guarantee you that if you regulate your individual life as perfectly as you take care of your experienced life, your young children will be great. If you’re satisfied in your job and as a result feel energized in your work setting, you are infusing your dwelling with electricity and enthusiasm. When you’re motivated, you can inspire other folks – i.e. aid your little ones on that faculty challenge, stimulate them to end their essay to the ideal of their capability, and so on.

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And I gotta inform you. The far more I examine, the far more skeptical I grew to become. Due to the fact his organization in shape the profile I’ve encountered so lots of periods right before, in tiny to mid-sized enterprises in the manufacturing sector. They speak to you. And when you return their contact (even on the date, time and to whom, pay for essay every recommendations), they aren’t available. They vanish. And not automatically because these providers and prospects aren’t fascinated. It’s simply because their issue, in their minds, “disappeared.” They decided they above-reacted and they don’t want your assist any longer. Till the next time they are in crisis method.

Many people today go into a household so there canine will have a lawn. However ,many landlords don’t accept animals in their house. The MLS will generally spell out pet insurance policies and the deposits usually run $300 to $500 . At times they allow you break up it up. Typically they like lesser animals less than 25lbs or so, but this can differ very a bit. and mainly because it’s so individualized, It might count on your credit history and of system a credible scenario by your agent. If you have a pet, it is pointless to appear at houses that wont settle for them. You do not want to tie up a grand or so of your dollars and lose a week only to be denied pay for essay online the reason that you failed to mention your pet.

Technology load – For some time, maintain yourself away from your mobile telephone, Tv and world-wide-web. With a lot of issues happening all over everyday, it is crucial to get your lives back again beneath your management instead than in handle of any technologies.

To get the most out of dancing to shed body weight, start getting fun by currently being competitive. Just make certain to warm up initial to avoid any injuries. Engage in dance-themed video online games at exciting houses, as effectively as on Sony Playstation, Nintendo Wii or a further sport console. Retain moving your body for at minimum fifteen or twenty minutes at a time. Expressing yourself on the dance floor can certainly be much more remarkable than jogging on a treadmill each day. Scientists estimate that you can drop one pound from each handful of hrs you invest on the dance ground. In other words and phrases, it is not difficult to drop a pound a week, as long as you take in clever and keep on burning energy by dancing. Start out permitting the tunes manual your physique to get started slimming down. You will glance wonderful, and truly feel even greater.