Jonah 2  This is Jonah's prayer.  Jonah had run from the presence of the Lord.. and found himself about as far away as anyone can go.. notice the words he uses to describe his position:

- " deep in the realm of the dead (Sheol)" (v2)

- "into the depth.. into the very heart of the seas" (v3)

-"banished from your sight" ( v4)

-"the deep surrounded me" (v5)

- "to the roots of the mountains I sank down" ( v6)

- "the earth beneath barred me in forever" (v6b)

Banished.. deep.. down.. imprisoned.. as good as dead.. 

But.. " I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; Thou didst hear my voice." (v2)  The NIV says.. " I called for help and you listened to my cry."

Jonah was absolutely helpless.. in the belly of a fish.. seaweed entangled around his head.. at the bottom of the sea.. in the realm of the dead.. " But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit." As life was "ebbing away"  Jonah turned his thoughts to his God.. He called and God answered.. 

No idol could do such a thing, Jonah testifies.  Only the One True God loves enough to save a rebellious man in the belly of a fish.. "Salvation come from the Lord"!  Jonah knows this.. and he commits himself  to obey God's word and keep his vows.. 

How far do we have to sink.. how low do we go.. before we look up?  Jonah went to the bottom of the sea. I feel like I have been there before.. and thankfully.. I called for help and the Lord heard my cry!  He brought me up out of the pit!  He has shown me His great love. He has restored my soul!  I am so thankful!  Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Father, thank You for saving me. Thank you that, even in the times when life was ebbing away.. You hear the voice of one crying out to You.  You hear.. and answer.. Oh Father, I pray for those who are sinking right now.. those who have tried to run from You.. those who are helpless and terrified.  Hear their cries Lord God.. bring them back to Yourself.  Your love is so great.. so high, so deep, so wide, and so long.. Praise the Lord!  Let Your mercy and love flow into their hearts and minds! All glory and praise and adoration belongs to You alone! No other can save.. and we are so thankful that You choose to save.. Thank You Jesus, our Lord, that You came to seek and save the lost... Let the name of the Lord be praised! Amen. 

 Jonah 1 What Jonah heard from the Lord was more than he could handle..  who could?  The Lord wanted him to go to the worst possible place.. to the worst possible people. . and cry against the greatness of their wickedness..  How many of us have run from something far less horrible than that?  Nineveh was the capital of Assyria.. they were cruel, evil, and ruthless. They would skin people alive and put the bodies on the walls of the city..  no wonder Jonah ran the other way!  We don't even allow missionaries to go into far less dangerous places these days.  Would we send anyone to a place like Nineveh? 

But, the problem was.. Jonah was not just running from an assignment.. he was running "from the presence of the Lord." (v3)  And, as we know.. that is impossible.  The Lord knew exactly where Jonah was.. sleeping in the bowels of the ship as the "Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm.. " 

When the sailors had done everything they could .. when they had called on every god they knew of.. when nothing else could save them.. they did what Jonah told them to do.. throw him into the sea.  They didn't want to.. but they had no other choice.  

Jonah was willing to tell the sailors that he served "the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."  He was willing to tell them that he was "fleeing from the presence of the Lord..."  And, he was willing to die.. so that they might be saved from the storm.   Everything he was not willing to do for Nineveh... he did for the sailors from Joppa. 

The result of Jonah's sacrifice was physical salvation for the sailors.. the storm stopped.  But, it also resulted in them calling on the Lord. "Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows." 

"And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights." 

In Matthew 12: 40 Jesus talks about the sign of Jonah the prophet.. "for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."  There are important lessons to be learned from the story of Jonah.. may God open our ears to hear!

Father  in heaven, lead us by Your Truth.. the Lamp to our feet and the Light to our way.  Help us to trust You in the difficult assignments.  Help us to obey You in the hard places.  May we run into Your Presence and cling to You always. May we take hold of the eternal life to which we are called.. in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Make our hearts willing.. Lord.  In Christ's name we pray. Amen. 

 I Timothy 5-6  Paul gives Timothy some detailed instructions for leading and teaching in the church.  Some of these things may or may not apply in this day and age.. but the basic message always does.. for all of these instructions reveal the heart of true disciples of Jesus...  living out His love towards others. 

 Paul teaches that how we treat other people..matters:  We should treat older men and women with respect.. like we should a father or mother.  We should treat younger men and women like we would brothers or sisters.  There is a sense of kinship.. mutual love and compassion toward others.. we become family in Christ.  We need to keep this in mind, even when we don't necessarily want to... 

Paul has a lot to say about widows in verses 3-16.  The bottom line is that the church should help those who have no other means of support.. and.. are faithful believers, trusting in God, committed to prayer.. and have a good reputation.. having done good works as she was able.  But, those who have family, those who are young enough to remarry, or those who have some other way of provision.. are not to be dependent on the church. 

Paul talks about the principles that he applies to elders in verses 17-22. Those who are worthy should be honored. Those who are found to be sinning must be disciplined. There is wisdom in not being hasty to appoint someone into a position of leadership too soon. 

Chapter 6 is a familiar theme in Paul's letters.. living out the character of Christ.. even when in a position of servitude. Slaves are supposed to be respectful.. Masters who are believers should be respected.. even if they are brothers in Christ. 

Paul also warns about greed and discontent.. and exhorts Timothy and the rest of us to " pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness".  Verse 12 is a charge for all of us: "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of eternal life to which you were called... " 

Paul finishes this letter with one more reminder that all we do is in light of what is to come.. Jesus is coming again.. "He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; who no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen." 

Here.. in our coming King..  is where we fix our hope.. He is why we do good, being generous and sharing.. here is where we "take hold of that which is life indeed."  May we guard these truths.. even as Paul instructed Timothy.. "avoiding worldly and empty chatter and opposing arguments of what is falsely called 'knowledge'". 

Father, may Your will be done.. in us.. in all these things. Enable us by Your Spirit to live in a way that Christ is glorified1  We ask this in  His name... our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 I Timothy 4  In the first 5 verses Paul is tells Timothy.. and  the church  to watch out for false teachers.  In the day the problem was with the Gnostics.  They believed that all physical matter was evil. Their teaching, Paul said, was from "deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons".   They were far from the truth.. for as Paul reminds us.. God created all things and He is good.  If we know and believe this truth then we can refute the false teaching and with gratitude receive all that He provides for us. Indeed, "it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer."  

What are the false teachers saying today?  What do we need to be careful of.. to bring to the lens of Truth and make sure we are not being deceived?  There has been a lot of discussion about the "prosperity gospel".. which is an example that we might use in this context.. There are also some who present a "social" gospel.. that we need to examine carefully.  Whatever has been or  is now being presented.. that which distracts us from the Truth.. falls into the category of false teaching.  Paul has warned us.. ".. the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith.. "  Let us be careful to keep our eyes on Jesus!  Let all we think about.. all we receive.. "be sanctified by the word of God and prayer.." 

In the rest of this chapter Paul gives Timothy advice on how to combat the false teachings.. good advice for all of us:

V6 We need to be "constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of sound doctrine.. " 

v7-8  We need to discipline ourselves "for the purpose of godliness".  ( That includes what we listen to.. watch.. or read) .. for "godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." 

v10 We need to  fix "our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers."

v12 We need to show ourselves as examples of what a believer is.. in our "speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity"

v13 We need to read, teach, and preach the Scriptures. 

v14 We need to use the spiritual gifts that God gives us. 

v15 We need to be diligent in all of these things.. Paul tells Timothy to "take pains.. be absorbed.. " in these truths. 

v16 We need to "pay close attention" to ourselves.. to our teaching.. to all we do as we serve the Lord.  This is for our own benefit as well as those who we might influence. 

Father, teach us.. enable us.. help us to walk in the Light.. in the Truth of Your Word.. to be steadfast and faithful.. to be diligent and focused  on  living for You. May all we do and say and think be centered on You... Your love, Your Truth and Your ways.  We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 I Timothy 3  Paul gives Timothy instructions for the leadership of the church. Most of this chapter focuses on the character of the elders and deacons.  These important positions of leadership should be filled by those men who are "above reproach".   Paul defines that as "temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.. "   Not only do those in authority in the church need to manage his own life.. but he is responsible for helping his wife and his children... taking care of their spiritual formation as well. 

A "good reputation" is vital for anyone representing the church. Here it is about a deacon.. but perhaps we should think about it for everyone who serves in the church in some  or any capacity.  Paul includes the wives of the deacons in his instructions as well, so I think it is fitting for both men and women to consider the words Paul wrote as important for all of us in the church. 

Just look at some of the traits.. "not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money... " v3;  " men of dignity, not double-tongued.. or found of sordid gain... " (v9); "Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things." (v11). 

Paul sums this up in verse 15 "I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth." 

Seems like we need to look closely at ourselves and our church leadership.. are we hitting the mark? How is our reputation.. as an individual.. as a church? How are we conducting ourselves?

Paul ends this chapter with a beautiful confession of the "mystery of godliness"-the gospel of  Christ:  

"He who was revealed in the flesh. ( incarnation)

Was vindicated in the Spirit. (resurrection)

Beheld by angels. (exaltation)

Proclaimed among the nations. ( proclamation)

Believed on in the world. ( redemption)

Taken up in glory." ( ascension) 

Paul always takes his readers back to the foundation.. . to what is most important.. to Jesus Christ.. and Him glorified. 

Father thank You for the Word that leads us to Your heart.. to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ our wonderful Lord and Your faithful Son.  Help us to become more and more like Jesus. Shape our character to conform to His image. May we truly be people who have a reputation of being like Jesus!  Oh to be like Him!  Fill us Spirit of the Living God and complete what You have started in us who believe. We ask this in Jesus' name. amen. 

 I Timothy 2  Paul, in the first part of this letter emphasized that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.. "  He showed mercy.. to Paul and to all who would come to Him.. to "believe in Him for eternal life."  The message that Paul brought to the Gentiles was not a message about the Law.. but about the grace of God.  The Good news of Jesus Christ is about love and faith and holiness.  

In light of this.. Paul urges Timothy and all of the church to pray.  Pray "on behalf of all men".  Pray for "kings and all who are in authority.. "  Pray because "this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 

We pray because there is only "one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."  We pray because Christ came to give "Himself as a ransom for all."  There is nothing more important for the church to do.. than to pray.. "lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension." We pray because people need the Lord!

Forget all the arguments over the Law.. forget about the meaningless teachings of the false teachers.. forget about whatever it is that is causing divisions.. there is one thing and one thing only that we need to do.. WE NEED TO PRAY FOR THE LOST!

Now, the rest of  this chapter is something that has become pretty controversial .. ironic ..since Paul has been talking about overcoming the controversies in order to focus on the essentials.. faith, love, and holiness. But, if we look at verse 15 we see this is his point..talking about women, he says  "Yet she will be saved through child-bearing ... if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control." 

Paul is specifically addressing the conduct of women in the church.  The first thing that he asks is that they "adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly.. "  His point is that women should not be defined about how fancy they look on the outside.. but "by means of good works... "  What portrays godliness?  Is it how nice our clothes are?  How great our hairstyle is? How much jewelry we wear?  No, not at all.  What reveals godliness in us is our character.. our kindness, our compassion, our willingness to serve others in need.  How do we.. as Christian women.. want to be seen? We need to think about this carefully. 

Paul's second request is that "a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness."  What was his point here?  It was not that a woman is  somehow less than a man.. for we are all equal in worth... but, there is a need for order in the church.. there is a need for self-control and restraint.  Unruly behavior.. from women or men.. will definitely cause distractions from the main goal of.. faith.. love.. and holiness. The example that God set up from the beginning still works.. Adam had the authority and the responsibility to lead.. Eve was meant to come alongside Adam.. instead she was deceived and led him into sin. Paul wants the church to follow God's order in everything. 

Paul is not saying that women can't learn the same things that men can, for we certainly can.  He is just saying that in order for the church to focus on the main things.. faith, love, and holiness.. we need to not be distracted by the wrong things.. like focusing on external adornments.. and disrespect for those in authority.

Father in heaven, teach us all of Your ways.. to do Your Holy will.. in everything.  Help us to be devoted to prayer.. that the lost may come to Jesus.  Help us to have appropriate behavior in all we say and do.. so that You will be glorified in our lives. Let the Light of Jesus Christ overflow in our lives.. for the glory of Your Holy name. We pray this in Jesus' name.  Amen. 

 II Timothy 1 Paul is writing to his “son” in the faith… who is working in Ephesus on behalf of Paul.  Paul gave Timothy the authority to command those in the church.  He is concerned about the false teachers who were teaching “myths.. genealogies..” and “controversial speculations”  Their words were becoming “meaningless” 

“ The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”  Paul is saying that anything that diverts our message from the truth interferes with what is most vital.. love, purity, faith.. 

The teachers who were trying to use the Law, weren’t even using it properly.  Paul said they didn’t know what they were talking about.. The Law was given “for lawbreakers and rebels”.  It was given to school us on what sin is.. ungodliness, unholiness:  murder, immorality,  lying.. “ and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine”. And yes, Paul includes “those practicing homosexuality.”  The Word of God is clear about this.. 

Paul doesn’t hide his own past.. he admits that he also was “once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man..”  It was only because God showed him mercy and poured out His grace on him “abundantly” that he came to faith in Christ Jesus.  “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.. of whom I am the worst.” ( v15)

This is such a contrast to the false doctrines.. it is the true message that must be preached!  Paul uses himself as an example of how Jesus changes lives!   Our Lord Jesus has “immense patience” with us.. all of us.. and His desire is to show us mercy.. that is why He came.. to save a world of sinners.  “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 

Paul tells Timothy to hold on.. hold on to this faith.. hold on to a good conscience..  We also are encouraged in this to do likewise.. 

Father in heaven ,  we need Your Presence in our lives.. pouring out mercy and grace that we might hold on to faith.. hold on to love.. hold on to Jesus.  Thank You for such a great salvation.. for Your immense patience with us. Be glorified in our lives and You sanctify us more and more by Your Spirit. We as this in Jesus’ name. Amen.