UNDERSTANDING JONAH; UNDERSTANDING SELF AND OTHERS

UNDERSTANDING JONAH; UNDERSTANDING SELF & OTHERS

Monday, March 2, 2020



  The Book of Jonah

  Romans [MKJV] 12:1-3 I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. But set your mind to be right-minded, even as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

  Philippians [GW] 3:7-15 These things that I once considered valuable, I now consider worthless for Christ. It's far more than that! I consider everything else worthless because I'm much better off knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. It's because of him that I think of everything as worthless. I threw it all away in order to gain Christ and to have a relationship with him. This means that I didn't receive God's approval by obeying his laws. The opposite is true! I have God's approval through faith in Christ. This is the approval that comes from God and is based on faith that knows Christ. Faith knows the power that his coming back to life gives and what it means to share his suffering. In this way I'm becoming like him in his death, with the confidence that I'll come back to life from the dead. It's not that I've already reached the goal or have already completed the course. But I run to win that which Jesus Christ has already won for me. Brothers and sisters, I can't consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don't look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God's heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus. Whoever has a mature faith should think this way. And if you think differently, God will show you how to think. . . . 4:13



  What was Jonah’s problem?

  The typical answer I once believed is he resisted God’s will and consequently suffered.

  Wrong. Resisting God’s will is not the problem, it is a resultant produced action.

  So what was Jonah’s problem?

  The problem is the same one we are confronted with every day; Our laboring to not conform our thinking to the world’s thinking and in doing so deny ourselves the power of Jesus’ resurrection. To explain I’ll use a diagram that continues to help me understand myself and others.

ACTIONS

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ATTITUDE

^

BELIEFS

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Noah resisted God’s will

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His attitude was that of a snob.

^

He believed?

 

  The above diagram is useful for spiritual discernment every day. Here’s a specific exercise for those interested in spiritual growth through discernment: What do you believe about Philippians 4:13? Is it a “name it and claim it!” mantra? Or is it a resultant summarizing declaration? Which belief is in line with Romans 12:1-3 thinking that pleases God? And what difference does our answer, belief, make in our life?

EBB4