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August 10
Friday


LESSONS
FROM JONAH

READ:
Jonah 1
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I cried out to the
LORD because of my
affliction, and He
answered me.
__Jonah 2:2
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The story of Jonah is one of the most discussed and fascinating accounts in the Bible. But for all the debate, one thing is sure: Jonah did a lot of soul-searching in that smelly underwater hotel.

All of us can identify. Sometiimes life just goes badly. When it does, like Jonah we need to ask ourselves some hard questions.

Is there sin in my life? In light of Jonah's blatant disobedience, God had to do something drastic to catch his attention and lead him to repentance.

What can I learn from this situation? The wicked people of Nineveh were enemies of God's people. Jonah thought they should be judged and not given a second chance. He obviously needed a lesson in sharing God's compassion for the lost. "God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster" (Jonah 3:10).

Can I display God's glory in this? Often our suffering is not about us but about people seeing the power of God working through our weakness. Jonah found himself in a helpless situation, yet God used him to lead a pagan nation to repentance.

Next tiime you find yourself in a "belly-of-a-whale" problem, don't forget to ask the hard questions. It could mean the difference between despair and deliverance. __Joe Stowell

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>FOR FURTHER STUDY<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

For an in-depth study of the fascinating account of
Jonah, read The Failure Of Success: The Story Of Jonah
at discoveryseries
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We learn lessons in the school of suffering
that we can learn in no other way. [Unfortunately ]

**************Today's Bible Reading __ Jonah 1*******************

1 Now the word of the LORD
came to Jonah...saying,
2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that
great city, and cry out against
it; for their wickedness has
come up before Me."
3 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;...
4 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...
8 Then they said to him,
"Please tell us! For whose
cause is this trouble upon us?
...And where do you come
from?..."
9 So he said to them, "I am
a Hebrew; and I fear the
LORD, the God of heaven,
who made the sea and the
dry land."
10 Then the men were
exceedingly afraid, and said
to him, "Why have you done
this?... 11 "What shall we do
to you that the sea may be
calm for us?"... 12 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."
13 Nevertheless the men
rowed hard to return to land,
but they could not, for the
sea continued to grow more
tempestuous against them.
14 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." 15 So they
picked up Jonah and threw
him into the sea, and the sea
ceased from its raging.
16 Then the men feared the
LORD exceedingly, and
offered a sacrifice to the
LORD and took vows.
17 Now the LORD had
prepared a great fish to
swallow Jonah. And Jonah
was in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights.
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I will be in the Rain forest the next two days, but i will try to type up the next two days before i go.