What is Your Truth?

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  John 8:32

The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences were written by Martin Luther in 1517 and are widely regarded as the initial catalyst for the Protestant Reformation. The disputation protests against clerical abuses, especially nepotism, simony, usury, pluralism, and the sale of indulgences. It is believed that, according to university custom, on 31 October 1517, Luther posted the ninety-five theses, which he had composed in Latin, on the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg. However, the fact that the theses themselves were posted on the church door is disputed.^[1]

I was reading on a blog the other day that many Christians think they know the "truth" about God and go around telling people what they believe that truth is. The blogger was against this.

I understand what he means. I belonged to a church that said the had the "truth" and then went to a different church for a year. They said the same thing. "We have the truth."  Well, they couldn't both have the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth because they believed different things.

So, what I have always done is search the Bible myself for truth, praying for guidance. When my sister was thinking of becoming a Buddhist I read up on their beliefs. I told her, "If there were no Jesus or Christianity, I would become a Buddhist. I admire a lot in that religion.

When I read books and the authors make claims about what they believe, I look the subject up in the Bible. I don't feel offended when people share their beliefs with me. Actually, I'm really interested. I have laughed inside sometimes at what some religions teach - like aliens coming here etc. However, these people are free to believe what they want and I've never laughed at them openly.

Anyway, this subject brought Martin Luther into my mind. He was the Catholic monk who some say started the Protestant Reformation. He saw the church doing things that were contrary to the Bible. He saw how this was hurting the common people, so he protested. He had no thought of starting his own church. He wanted reform from within, but it didn't happen so he had to leave. He wrote books and pamphlets about what he believed and how the church was wrong.

If God is being misrepresented by someone, then the truth about God needs to be told. Not many will receive the truth, it isn't popular to go against something that has been taught for centuries. But that's okay. Those who are searching and open-minded will study and see for themselves.

Never just believe what someone tells you about God. Search for yourself, pray for guidance and God will lead you. I have studied with Mormans and Jehovah Witnesses and Mennonites besides the church I used to belong to. (Seventh-Day-Adventist)  I have no fear of other's beliefs and I want to hear them. Lay their beliefs alongside the Bible and you will know what is truth.

Mysticism or the Bible.

Photo by: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Trounce

I've heard there is talk of mysticism in the churches today; some kind of physical experience with God. People are wanting perhaps more than what God has promised to us. He hasn't promised us a physical experience where we move up to some higher plane to see and hear things from Him. 

If we ignore the way in which God has chosen to speak to his followers, we can lose our way and head towards something that feels good but is not good.

Yes, God can give people visions and dreams. There are times he will do this. But not from us seeking these things. He gives these things when they are necessary, either for us or for his kingdom.

I have heard of people in Christian circles say, "Only speak of Jesus. Don't talk about the end of the world, or what kind of people they should be. Only Jesus."

Well, what did Jesus himself say? He taught the people about how they should live and he talked about the end of the world! So, these people contradict themselves. They say, "Don't talk about the commandments."  What did Jesus say about the commandments? A lot.

"You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother."  Mark 10:19

"And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  Matt. 22:37-40


It is vital for a Christian to read the Bible. The Bible is called the word of God; Jesus is also called the Word. If we do not know what the Bible says then we have no defense against the lies of man or Satan. We can be deceived; that is the reason God gave us his word from heaven.

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  Psalm 119:105

"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."  Acts 17:11

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."  Deuteronomy 29:29

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."  Romans 10:17

In a prayer for his disciples, Jesus said, "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." John 17:17

"And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers."  1 Thess. 2:13

Your Word.

"Your word O Lord is eternal. It stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations. You established the earth and it endures." Psalm 119:89

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

"Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this; your promise preserves my life." Psalm 119:50

The words of God from the Bible give me strength and joy. His promises give me hope.

Why was Abraham Tested?

In Genesis 22 we learn that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son as an offering to Himself. God had no intention of allowing Abraham to do this - it was a test of his trust in God. When the time came and Isaac was on the alter, God said,

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

The commentaries say the words, "Now I know," could be interpreted, "I have made known." Because God already knew what Abraham would do. 

 Saadiah Gaon (i) interprets it, "I have made known", that is, to others; God by trying Abraham made it manifest to others, to all the world, to all that should hear of or read this account of things, that he was a man that feared God, loved him, believed in him, and obeyed him, of which this instance is a full and convincing proof:

http://bible.cc/genesis/22-12.htm

Testing comes to all of us Christians. There are many writings on this in the Bible. Peter has this to say:

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6-7

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That it is desirable that the faith of Christians should be tried:

(a) It is desirable to know whether that which appears to be religion is genuine, as it is desirable to know whether that which appears to be gold is genuine. To gold we apply the action of intense heat, that we may know whether it is what it appears to be; and as religion is of more value than gold, so it is more desirable that it should be subjected to the proper tests, that its nature may be ascertained. There is much which appears to be gold, which is of no value, as there is much which appears to be religion, which is of no value. The one is worth no more than the other, unless it is genuine.

(b) It is desirable in order to show its true value. It is of great importance to know what that which is claimed to be gold is worth for the purposes to which gold is usually applied; and so it is in regard to religion. Religion claims to be of more value to man than anything else. It asserts its power to do that for the intellect and the heart which nothing else can do; to impart consolation in the various trials of life which nothing else can impart; and to give a support which nothing else can on the bed of death. It is very desirable, therefore, that in these various situations it should show its power; that is, that its friends should be in these various conditions, in order that they may illustrate the true value of religion.

(c) It is desirable that true religion should be separated from all alloy. There is often much alloy in gold, and it is desirable that it should be separated from it, in order that it may be pure. So it is in religion. It is often combined with much that is unholy and impure; much that dims its lustre and mars its beauty; much that prevents its producing the effect which it would otherwise produce. Gold is, indeed, often better, for some purposes, for having some alloy mixed with it; but not so with religion. It is never better for having a little pride, or vanity, or selfishness, or meanness, or worldliness, or sensuality mingled with it; and that which will remove these things from our religion will be a favor to us.

II. God takes various methods of trying his people, with a design to test the value of their piety, and to separate it from all impure mixtures:

(1) He tries his people by prosperity - often as decisive a test of piety as can be applied to it. There is much pretended piety, which will bear adversity, but which will not bear prosperity. The piety of a man is decisively tested by popularity; by the flatteries of the world; by a sudden increase of property; and in such circumstances it is often conclusively shown that there is no true religion in the soul.

continued...http://bible.cc/1_peter/1-7.htm

For myself, I would say my faith was tested when my daughter Sandy gave birth. She suffered terribly for 27 hours, and as I watched her I thought of all the women through the ages who had died this way - giving birth, and it made me very angry at God. I failed this test of my faith. I was angry for years at the suffering God allowed to everyone. After awhile I told God I was tired of being angry at Him and wanted to come back and I read many books on suffering and why God allowed it.

Years later, my daughter Christine suffered terribly from a medical ailment. She almost died. By then I had learned to trust God. I gave her to Him and did not get angry about her suffering. I also felt no anger when my grandson died. This is what God will do for us and I am thankful to Him. If you have trouble in this area, ask God to help you to accept life as it is and not to struggle against it. Ask Him for strength to bear whatever it is that is hurting your heart and He will give it to you.

Why Ishmael is Sent Away.

In Genesis 21 we read about Ishmael, the son of the slave Hagar, mocked Isaac, the son of Sarah. I have always thought it was cruel for Sarah and Abraham to banish Hagar and Ishmael. But after reading the commentaries I now understand why. Ishmael had been the first-born. The inheritance from Abraham would have all been his until Isaac was born. This seemed to make Ishmael angry - so he mocked the child, and as Paul said, he persecuted Isaac. Ishmael was 17 years old at the time and could have been a threat.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
mocking; either at the entertainment made at the weaning of Isaac; or rather at Isaac himself, laughing at his name, and treating him with contempt as his younger brother, and boasting that he was the firstborn, and that the inheritance belonged to him; and threatening what he would do to him, should he hereafter offer to dispute it with him, under pretence of the promise of God that he should be Abraham's heir, and at which promise also he may be supposed to mock: and that this contention was about the inheritance seems plain from the words of Sarah inGenesis 21:10; and in it Ishmael might not only rise to high words, but come to blows, and beat his brother; for it is observed the word used sometimes so signifies, 2 Samuel 2:14; wherefore the apostle might truly call it a persecution, Galatians 4:29; and as even cruel mockings are, Hebrews 11:35. http://bible.cc/genesis/21-9.htm

I also used to wonder why Abraham didn't make sure Hagar and Ishmael had enough water and food to go on their trip. But the commentaries said they had enough but they got lost in the desert. When the water and food was gone and they were dying, it was then that Hagar prayed. God appeared immediately and gave her more than she prayed for. He saved their lives and promised to be with them.

"God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation." Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt." Genesis 21:17-21

We are in a War.

We are in a war. A war of good against evil.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly."
Ephesians 6:12

'Spiritual forces in the heavenly.' These are the evil angels who fell from heaven many years ago. But how can we fight against these spiritual forces?

Paul uses the image of a soldier's battle garb. He says:

1. Gird your loins with the truth. (The Bible)

2. Wear the breastplate of righteousness. (Christ's robe of righteousness covers us.)

3. Shod your feet with the good news of peace. (Wherever you go, speak good things of peace.)

4.Hold up the shield of faith. (Trust God.)

5. Wear the helmet of salvation. (Believe you are saved, it gives you peace and joy.)

6. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (When we read and speak the words of God, the evil insede and outside of us will fall.)

Jesus used the words of God against Satan in the wilderness and he was victorious. We can do the same thing.

Feelings

Feelings come and go. Sometimes we can feel that life is beautiful. We look at the ocean and feel that life is amazing. We look at people who love us and feel thankful. But we can also look at our bank account and feel fear. We can look at our children and feel worry. We can have someone cut us off in traffic and feel angry.

If we live by our emotions, there is sure to be trouble ahead. Emotions are unstable, unreliable and many times just plain wrong. Our feelings can be hurt by someone, but they didn't mean to hurt us. Yet our feelings can't let it go. We can get sick and our feelings tell us, "You will never get better." But the feelings are wrong and you do get better.

When I was dating my husband I once said to him, "I don't feel like God loves me." He said, "It's a good thing we don't live by our feelings then." I was stunned by his answer at the time, because that is what I did live by. If I felt God didn't love me, then he didn't.

I have learned to distrust my feelings. When I am depressed, I think good thoughts, I quote Bible verses and I remember how God has taken care of me all my life. I rarely let my feelings rule me any more. And I know God loves me, for that is what he says.

"Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look around you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
I saiah 41:10

The Bible

Jesus said, "You search the scriptures, because you believe that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me. Yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." John 5:39-40

The men Jesus was talking to were experts on the Old Testament. They were the scribes, Saducees and Pharisees. They seemed to think that by obeying the letter of the laws, they would be saved. Jesus told them this was not true. In concentrating on the rules they had missed out on the intent of God.

"You are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law - justice, mercy and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things." Matthew 23:23

We must all be careful of doing this. We should do what Jesus said and lift up justice, mercy and faith. Jesus also said that love was the greatest commandment. As we read the Bible, let us remember that.

Seek My Face.

You have said, "Seek my face."
My heart says to you,
"Your face, O Lord, do I seek."
Psalm 27:7

How do we seek the Lord's face? By prayer and Bible study.

The Bible says God is our friend. When we have a close friend, we seek their company. We ask them to go to a movie with us, or go camping with us. It is the same with God. We ask him to be with us each day. We tell him what we have been doing and what we are thinking. Yes, he already knows these things, but he wants us to share our thoughts and feelings with him as with a friend.

Reading the Bible can be hard for some people. However, it can be made easy this way. Start with the New Testament, say the book of John, and read one or two verses a day. Think on what those verses are saying and how they could apply in your life. Talk with God about those verses and ask him to help you understand and remember what he is trying to teach you.

So, "Seek the Lord, while he may be found. Call upon him, while he is near."

Don't be a Mule.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you."

Psalm 32:8-9

I love these verses.

"I will instruct and teach you": What a great promise! The God of the whole universe teaching us.

"With my eye upon you": Think of this; his eye is on us always.

"Don't be like a mule." Mules and horses have to be forced to go where you want them to go. God doesn't want to force us.

"...or it will not stay near you." God wants us to stay near him because we choose to. He won't put a bit and bridle on us. We must choose to be near him; then he will teach us.

Joseph - A Slave, A Convict, A Prime Minister.

I have always admired Joseph. The story of his life is found in the book of Genesis Chapters 37-50. For me, he is the ideal believer in God. He never lost faith and trusted God in every circumstance.

Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers. Imagine yourself, a 17 year old, being sold as a slave. What would be your feelings? I would guess:terror, sadness, despair.

Did Joseph turn from God because God had let this terrible thing happen to him? No. He was such a good slave that his master Potifar, Captain of the bodyguards of Pharoah, promoted him. "...he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge."

In Chapter 39 verse 2, the Bible says, "The Lord was with Joseph..." Yet a new trial awaited him. Potifar's wife wanted to sleep with Joseph and asked him over and over. Joseph said to her, "How could I do this great evil and sin against God?" But this made her angry and she accused Joseph of trying to rape her. Potifar had him thrown into prison.

In verse 21 it says, "But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer." He gave Joseph the job of looking after all the prisoners.

These are the years of Joseph's life that I especially admire. It seems that nothing on earth could shake his faith in God. In this age, when many preachers tell us God will make us rich - God will prosper us in every way - God will not let anything bad happen to us if we have faith; I look at Joseph and I know this is not true.

We do not know the plans God has for our lives. He could have kept Joseph safe from all these troubles, but he didn't. It would have been so easy for Joseph to question God's love but he didn't. God's wisdom is so far above ours we can trust that whatever is happening in our lives, he is with us as he was with Joseph.

Strength.

"I love you, O Lord my strength." Psalm 18:1

Many times, when I have felt tired, I have asked God to give me strength to do something and he has given me that strength. My mother, who is 83, has a weekly Bible study with a friend who lives in her apartment building. Sometimes, at the end of the day she is very tired. But she has asked God for strength to do the study and God has always given her that strength.

Of course, God is not just our physical strength when we need him. He is our Spiritual Strength. "The Lord is the strength of my life." Psalm 27:1, is one of my favorite verses. Without him, I know I would be lost. Not only lost spiritually, but in every way.

Before I gave my life to God, that is how I felt: lost. Lost and groping like a blind person in this dark world. I had tried to find my way through drinking, drugs and men, but it didn't work. I felt despair and hopelessness.

Thank God he was there for me, pushing and pulling me towards himself. Thank you God. I love you God, you are the strength of my life.

Understanding.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
And he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6

There have been times when I have been upset or worried about something and this verse has come into my mind. My own understanding of things is sometimes distorted or skewed. I don't see the way God sees. He is wisdom and knowledge itself.

I love the fact I can just say to God, "Well, I don't understand why this is happening, but I will trust in you. I know you can bring good out of this, and you will make things clear some day."

Our Hearts.

1 John 3:20

"If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knows everything."

I am thankful God is greater than our hearts. Sometimes my heart condemns me, reminds me of my failures, or tells me I am stupid. But God is greater than my heart. He knows me and loves me just as I am.

Jacob's Dream.

Jacob had to leave home because his brother Esau was planning to kill him. His parents sent him to his uncle Laban's house in order to find a wife. On the first night of his journey, Jacob lay down on the earth and had a dream. He saw a ladder set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven, and angels of God were climbing up and stepping down on it.

Then he saw the Lord standing above the ladder who said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants...and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Genesis 28:13,14

God also promised to be with Jacob wherever he went and that he would bring Jacob back to his homeland.

When Jacob awoke he was frightened and said, "Surely the Lord is in the place, and I did not know it." In the morning he made a pillar and poured oil on it and called the place, Bethel, and promised that God would be his God and he would give him a tenth of all he had.

When Jacob left home, he must have felt discouraged and ashamed of what he had done to his father in decieving him. Perhaps he was afraid of the future and what would become of him. Kindly, God sent him a dream to tell him that he was with Jacob wherever he went. This must have encouraged Jacob, for now he knew his sin was forgiven and God was with him as he had been with his father Isaac.

The ladder from earth to heaven shows our connection with heavenly angels and the heavenly city and the Lord who is above all. The angels are constantly going back and forth from earth to heaven in order to help and encourage us. They are God's messengers and guardians to people. We are not alone. Wherever we are; God is there.

Wait For the Lord.

Isaac and Rebekah asked God for children, and when Rebekah was pregnant she felt the babies move so much that she asked God what was happening. God told her she would give birth to two nations. He also said, "The older shall serve the younger."

Esau and then Jacob were born to Rebekah. The Bible records, "Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob." It is never a good thing to love one child over another. This was perhaps the beginning of the trouble in this household.

In those days the oldest son received the greatest share of property and also became the spiritual head of the house. Esau, as the oldest, was the one to whom these blessing would go. But Esau had sold his birthright blessing to Jacob in exchange for food. Jacob also wanted the spiritual blessing.

When Isaac was ready to give this blessing, Rebekah decided to trick him into giving the blessing to Jacob. Isaac had asked Esau to go hunt game for him and make him a meal, so Rebekah did this quickly and sent Jacob into the tent. Jacob lied and said he was Esau. Isaac believed him and spoke the blessing over him. When Esau came in later Isaac said, "Who was he then that hunted game and brought it to me, so that I
ate of it all before you came and I blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed."

Esau was furious and decided he would kill Jacob after their father was dead. Rebekah heard of his plan and sent Jacob away to stay with her brother.

Jacob and Rebekah believed it was God's will for Jacob to be the head of the family, and they were right. But they didn't wait for God to do this himself. They cooked up a plan of their own which separated them for the rest of their lives. They never saw each other again.

Waiting for God is a testing time. He does not want us to force issues, lie to people, or hurry things along with our own big ideas. Abraham was to wait patiently for a son, he did not do this and it caused heartache and pain. Rebekah and Jacob did not wait patiently either; this resulted in the fracture of a family and great sorrow.

"Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

Jesus Asks Questions.

This is the last post on questions that God and Jesus have asked people. I conclude with Jesus and a few of the questions he asked.

"Why were you afraid, you men of little faith?" Matt. 8:26

"You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Matt. 16

Faith is important to God. Jesus asked both these questions when he was on the sea with his disciples. In the first instance, they were all afraid of their boat sinking. There was a fierce storm at the time. Jesus was asleep and they woke him asking if he cared they would all die.

Jesus implied a person of faith would not have been afraid. Why? Why does it show faith when you believe you are about to drown and you are not afraid? I think that faith would say, "Trust in the Lord, if it is his will for you to die now then accept it. If it is not his will, no storm on earth could kill you."

The second verse came from Jesus when Peter came out onto the water to walk with Jesus. But Peter looked away and became afraid and began to sink. He looked at the storm instead of at Jesus. This it to teach us to look at God when we are in trouble. If we do, we will not doubt or be afraid.

Saul (later named Paul)was persecuting Christians; he was arresting them and taking them to jail. As he was going to Damascus a great light shone around him, he saw a heavenly person (Jesus) who spoke to him and asked him this question,


"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

Paul had an open mind, he asked, "Who are you Lord?"

Jesus answered, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting."

Paul was converted that day, he repented and became one of the greatest Apostles.

If God ever questions you or I, how will we answer him? Will we be rebellious or will we open our heart to him?

A Question for Isaiah and Questions for All of Us.

Isaiah, like Elijah, was another great prophet of God. One day God took him to heaven and Isaiah saw, "the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted..."

God now asked a question of the ones in heaven, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for me?"
Isaiah answered and said, "Here am I, send me." What a wonderful answer! After seeing the majesty of God, Isaiah must have been strengthened for his great work in giving God's messages to the people of Israel.

Reading through the book of Isaiah, God asks the people many questions. Sometimes questions push us to examine why and what we are doing.

"What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the face of the poor?"
This is an important issue with God; it is mentioned time and time again in the Old Testament and the New.

"To whom will you liken me that I would be his equal?" says the Holy One.

"Why do you say, 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?'"

"Is my hand short that it cannot save? Have I no power to deliver?
Behold, I dry up the sea with my rebuke. I make the rivers in a wilderness."

"Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?"

The Lord God wants to talk with people. He doesn't just want a one-sided conversation, he wants us to hear what he says in the Bible and he listens to what we say to him. If we have questions for God, he will answer them. Sometimes, like with Job, he will not explain all his reasons for doing things, but he will show us that he is trustworthy.

Questions II

Yesterday, I blogged about how God asks questions. I studied some more and found quite a few more examples.
Most people know the story of Jonah and the whale, but did you know that Jonah was angry with God when he didn't destroy the people of Nineveh? He probably didn't think they deserved to live, and also that he might be thought of as a false prophet.

So God came to visit Jonah and asked him, "Do you have a good reason to be angry?" Jonah 4:4

Isn't it wonderful to see the patience of God. Someone was angry with him, yet God didn't yell or punish, he simply asked a question. And what was Jonah's reply? "I have good reason to be angry, even to death." He was so angry, he wanted to die rather than accept what God had done.

Again God shows patience in explaining to Jonah his reasons.

"Shouldn't I have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who don't know their right hand from their left, as well as many animals?" Not only does God care about the people, he cares about the animals that would have died.

You may ask, "If God loved Nineveh so much why would he threaten to destroy the whole city?" The Bible has long lists of evils that push God to punish nations. The most prominent reason is child sacrifice. In many religions of that day the people laid babies and children on an alter and burned them to death. The other reasons were cruelty to strangers, murder of innocent people, sexual sins, robbing the poor, widows and orphans and not helping those in need. God will let nations go so far, and then no farther.

To those who turn to God, he will gladly accept and forgive. He will give them a new heart that loves to do good and not evil.

Paul

I was reading II Corinthians yesterday and it hit me how much Paul had suffered for preaching the gospel. Some preachers tell us God will bless our lives with money and other comforts is we ask him. Compare that to what Paul went through.

"Five times I received 39 lashes, three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure." These are some of Paul's words taken from Chapter 11.

Paul said he also had a "thorn in the flesh" that he asked God three times to remove. But God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." I take this to mean God can use our weaknesses to show forth his power.

If we think God will protect us from all trouble, we are mistaken. But, he will be with us in that trouble. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33 I love that verse. In tribulation - look at what Jesus did and know he is with you. "Behold, I am with you until the end of the world." Matthew 28:20