Luke 24:5-9 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6 "He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.
1. Don’t seek Christ where dead things are at choose to seek Him where life is! Look at the life all around you go see Him. He is all around you.
Just as the angels reminded the women that He said these things about His death and resurrection I am telling you to remember His words remember His death and resurrection this year celebrate it because it gives new life, hope, faith, love, comfort, conviction, support, growth, purpose, you to be you, and to prosper in abundance in the abundant life God has for you. That is worth celebrating and should be celebrated this whole week because that is what Jesus did for you and so much more! Easter is about His death and His resurrection it’s about you and I dying to self and being resurrected into new life. Easter is about sharing your story that Jesus has written. Speak and share through word and deed all the things God has done for you especially the new ones. Easter is a time to evangelize the good news that Christians share because it is life changing go and be the candle where you are at go tell others just like the women did. Luke 24:8-10 “ 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.”
12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.
2. Stoop and look into the grave of your heart and I dare you to marvel at what Christ has done in your life.
The word marveling here in the Greek means “to wonder, wonder at, marvel
to be wondered at, to be had in admiration” and happened means “to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen of events to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage of men appearing in public to be made, finished of miracles, to be performed, wrought to become, be made.” Be in the wonder the admiration God has done for you receive them let them appear in the history of your life by re-telling them again and again. Tell of the Resurrection that Christ has done for you and in you.
28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. 29 But they urged Him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over." So He went in to stay with them.
3. As you reach your destination Jesus may act like He is moving on to the next journey, but in reality, He wants you to urge Him to stay.
Jesus left the choice up to them to let Him continue on or to urge Him to stay with them. If you have an urgency for Jesus to stay and lodge with you because the day’s journey is ended He will, but you need that urgency. Easter reminds us that Jesus still gives us a choice to ask Him to stay with us or let Him continue on His journey. The choice is yours, but He gives you a choice to urge Him to stay.
If you feel that urge today that you want Him to come into your heart and you know He has not yet or you have walked away from Him. Today is the day for you to make a new choice. If you want Jesus to come into your life today say this simple prayer: “Jesus, I ask you to come into my life I repent of my sins. I am yours and you are mine today I urge you to come in and I know you are with me now and forevermore in Jesus name we pray amen! If you said that prayer welcome I am so glad you made this decision! Go to church this Sunday, pick up the Bible read it, get connected with other Christians, and marvel at what God will do. Be blessed and Godspeed! ~ Robbie
Who is excited for this year? We are two months in! What dreams are out there to accomplish? What can be done this year that was not done last year? I want to challenge us all to achieve this goal each day. Are you ready for the goal? The goal is that "each day must be to get a little better, to build on the previous day's progress" ~ John Maxwell. This is the challenge I set for us all this year it is a different outlook on life, but it will make each of us very successful. In the new year, everyone is pumped and ready to achieve their goals that they did not accomplish last year. All of us do well for awhile, but then life happens. A day gets missed, and life starts getting back into the old routine. Then thoughts come and say I will try it again next year. This should not be this year do not give up! Do not miss what you are aiming for, keep trying each day! Do not wait again for next year to come. Remember "each day must be to get a little better, to build on the previous day's progress" ~ John Maxell. There is one thing though that I don’t want us to miss again this year; it can be easily missed and lost throughout the year; if we are not keeping track of where it is. Today's blog will be on what not to miss, but also on how to find it if we do miss it. Does anyone want to guess what we don't want to miss?
Don’t miss Jesus this year! As 2017, continues on month after month all of us will get caught up in the moments of life. The challenge this year is to always look for Jesus in the moments of life, don’t miss seeing and experiencing Him in 2017. If that happens to you go search for Him, again and again, He will be found. If Jesus gets lost in the moments of life, do not frantic in searching for Him everywhere go to the places where He will be at. Today, these four places can be found by anyone, and anyone can make an effort to attend these places. The journey to find these four places begins in Luke 2:41-49 and ends in Song of Songs 6:1-3, 11-12.
Luke 2:41-42 NLT 41 "Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual."
Luke 2:41-42 - Don't make this year just another "Usual Year." For Joseph, Mary, and Jesus this year would be different. Make this a memorable year. Grab a piece of paper or pick up a notebook and write out one highlight that happens each month of 2017. Then review each one each month. By the end of the year, there will be 12 remarkable things that happen to you in 2017. Then take the time to look back to remember these things. Add the good, the bad, and the ugly to your list because all these things are part of your life shaping you to be more like Christ. Everything anyone goes through is an opportunity for them to be more like Christ.
Luke 2:43-44 43 "After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, 44 because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends."
Luke 2:43-44 - After celebrating Christ’s birth and the New Year people let life became as it was which is usual. Usual is defined as “commonplace every day” (Dictionary.com). That usual mindset set has to go because it limits people to achieve the best each day. For Christians and those who are non-Christians don't miss Jesus at first in the New Year. He is close to the hearts of everyone. Each person still sees the Christmas decorations of baby Jesus, hears the songs, or movies about Him in their minds and what is around them. In the new year, Christians have the motivation to read their Bibles more often, to pray more often, and to serve more often than they did last year. If anyone does not start to miss Jesus, then that is a warning sign that something is up and they need to get back to Him as soon as possible. People cannot assume that Jesus is with them this year. They need to make sure they know that He is with them. How do people know if someone is with them? They will see them, feel them, and experience their presence in the room.
Luke 2:45 "When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there."
Luke 2:45 - When you cannot find Jesus in your life go back to where you know where He is. His parents knew that Jesus has to be in Jerusalem. Jerusalem throughout the Scriptures is known as the home or dwelling place of God. They want back to where they knew He would be at. When 2017, gets busy and people get caught up in all the drama, life experiences, the joys as well as the sorrows of 2017, you have to remind yourself where you can go to find Christ. That is the House of God.
Luke 2:46-49 "46 Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.” 49 “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
Luke 2:46-49 - Joseph and Mary find him in the Temple His Father’s house. Jesus always can be found in four places because these four places are connected with the House of God.
1. Jesus can be found in The House of God. Anyone can meet Him there at any time (Luke 2:49). 2. He can found when two or more Christians come together. He will be found in their midst. When Christians hang out together at the park, playing board games or card games, video games, watching sports, eating, going to the movies, walking together, or any other activity they do Christ is with them (Matthew 18:20). 3. Jesus can be found in everyday life. The Bible says do not despise the small beginnings because God is doing something with those small beginnings. Don’t look over small times with Jesus. For example, I took my grandma to get her hair cut, while we waited our turn, I saw a father and son sitting across from us. He was playing with his son hugging, kissing, and tickling him while they waited to be seen. As I watched, I had a picture come to my mind that God does that with us. He wants to play with us to enjoy His love. That is what this son was doing, he was enjoying a time of love and affection with his dad. A small thing, but Jesus was found at the Salon those kinds of experiences is what I am talking about when it comes to small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). 4. Jesus is found where serving is taking place. (Song of Songs 6:1-3, 11-13).
Each of these four places has been put there by Jesus for people to find Him. He always initiates the process for people to find Him. He set up these locations to start the initiation for people to encounter Him.
Which leads us to the Scriptures in the Song of Songs which tells us that Jesus can be found and seen in serving in His creation. I want to leave a comment about the Song of Songs we as Christians know that all Scripture is inspired by God and use to teach, reproof, correct, and train us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). So that includes the Song of Songs. I believe that every book in the Bible has Christ in it someway and somewhere. Why do I believe this? Because the Bible tells us in Colossians 1:16 that all things were made through Him and for Him. So if all things are made through Him and for Him, then you are going to find Him in all the Scriptures. Another reason is that of Luke 24:27, 44 and John 5:39 say that the Scriptures bear witness to Jesus. This is why I believe Jesus is in the Song of Songs. I believe there are types and shadows going on here with the characters in the Song of Songs. King Solomon represents Jesus, The Shaulmite Bride represents the Bride of Christ, and The Daughters of Jerusalem represents less mature believers who have not yet gotten the same revelation that The Shaulmite Bride has received about Jesus. Now you as my readers understand my thinking and belief about this book let's look at it and see what it says about finding Jesus.
Song of Songs 6:1-3 NLT “Where has your lover gone, O woman of rare beauty? Which way did he turn so we can help you find him? My lover has gone down to his garden, to his spice beds, to browse in the gardens and gather the lilies. I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. He browses among the lilies.”
When Christians know where they can find Jesus, they are aware of a personal truth that they are His and He is theirs. Our Jesus browses among the lilies (representing God’s people) serving His Kingdom and Creation.
"The Bride responds to the request as to the whereabouts of the King (“How do we find the King/Jesus?) by telling the Daughters of Jerusalem that He is in His garden. What this means is that we will find Jesus when we serve. We will find Him more and more as we begin to serve His People. If we are to find Jesus in the deepest ways, we must meet Him in serving. What He is doing is what we should be doing. As we do, we will meet Him and know Him in a greater and greater way." ~ Messianic Rabbi Schneider
Song of Songs 6:11-12 NLT “Young Woman I went down to the grove of walnut trees and out to the valley to see the new spring growth, to see whether the grapevines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom. 12 Before I realized it, my strong desires had taken me to the chariot of a noble man."
The Bride goes to the grove of walnut trees and to the valley (representing God's people) as she makes her journey through the grove and valley she goes to see where God was moving and ministering to His creation. While she is in the grove and valley, she discovers the chariot of a nobleman, because she was in the valley and grove where serving was taking place she found Jesus there.
"The Bride goes to see Jesus’ activity in His orchard/field. She goes to where He is laboring and building His people. When she got there, her heart rose in her to strengthen God’s people and build His kingdom. Jesus is known in a more intimate way by those who are connecting with Him in serving." ~ Messianic Rabbi Schneider
Journey with Jesus in 2017 always be looking for Him, and if you misplace Him remember the four places where He can be found. 1. The House of God. You can meet Him anytime there (Luke 2:49).2. You can find Him when two or more come together. He is in their midst. You can find Jesus when you fellowship with other Christians anywhere at any time (Matthew 18:20). 3. Jesus can be found in everyday life. Do not despise the small things where you can see Jesus at in your life. Don’t despise small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). 4. You can find Jesus where serving is at (Song of Songs 6:1-3, 11-13).
Let 2017, be a year for you to see Jesus more in your life. If you do not know Christ this is a great time to meet Him. Say this prayer "Jesus, I believe you died for my sins. I ask you to forgive me. I want to know You and see you in all my lifetime. I believe you are my Lord and Savior today and forevermore in Jesus name, we pray amen! If you said that prayer for the first time or recommitted your life to Christ I celebreate with you! I encourage you to read your bible daily, get connected with a local church and other Christians, and go serve others by putting your time and effort into helping others better their lives.
My readers, this is the final episode of the series "God of the Second Wind Heroes of Faith." It has been a great journey to see the stories of faith of Rahab, Ruth, Jonah, and Samson. One of my favorite stories of faith and it is fitting to end with it is Samson. Why is Samson's life so close to my heart and inspires me never to give up? Because Samson lived by faith! Yes, Samson had many mistakes, but He knew His God! Another reason I enjoy Samson's life story is that if God used and redeemed Samson, then there is hope for each of us. Sit back and enjoy a good read in this final episode of "God of the Second Wind Heroes of Faith. Samson's Bold Faith In The God He Knew." I will be using The Message Bible as my reference to the Scriptures.
Judges 13:1-5 And then the People of Israel were back at it again, doing what was evil in God’s sight. God put them under the domination of the Philistines for forty years. 2-5 At that time there was a man named Manoah from Zorah from the tribe of Dan. His wife was barren and childless. The angel of God appeared to her and told her, “I know that you are barren and childless, but you’re going to become pregnant and bear a son. But take much care: Drink no wine or beer; eat nothing ritually unclean. You are, in fact, pregnant right now, carrying a son. No razor will touch his head—the boy will be God’s Nazirite from the moment of his birth. He will launch the deliverance from Philistine oppression.”
Judges 13:1-5 The Lord had a particular purpose for Samson his purpose was “He will launch the deliverance from Philistine oppression.” The Lord wants to use you to launch something that has not been done yet. A Launch is defined as "to send off especially with force to give a start to" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). God's purpose for Samson is to start the deliverance that Isreal will experience from the Philistines. What launch do you feel the Lord is telling you to start? Redemption always begins with a birth. The birth of Christ initiates a redemption in you not only for you but for your family and all who you will touch.
Judges 13:6-7 The woman went to her husband and said, “A man of God came to me. He looked like the angel of God—terror laced with glory! I didn’t ask him where he was from and he didn’t tell me his name, but he told me, ‘You’re pregnant. You’re going to give birth to a son. Don’t drink any wine or beer and eat nothing ritually unclean. The boy will be God’s Nazirite from the moment of birth to the day of his death.’”
Judges 13:6-7 - Samson’s dedication to God was at the time of his birth to the time of his death. The Lord saw him as His Nazirite, and the Lord did not take that away from Samson. Know that you have a purpose and are important to the Lord. He has an assignment just for you to accomplish. That mission is dedicated unto you from birth until death.
Judges 13:12-14 12 Manoah said, “So. When what you say comes true, what do you have to tell us about this boy and his work?”13-14 The angel of God said to Manoah, “Keep in mind everything I told the woman. Eat nothing that comes from the vine: Drink no wine or beer; eat no ritually unclean foods. She’s to observe everything I commanded her.”
Judges 13:12-14 Manoah was seeking guidance from the Lord about Samson and his work, but the Lord does not answer him. Sometimes the Lord will tell you just do what My Word tells you to do. Manoah like many of us wants every detail about the situation we are getting into, but the Lord tells him I am not going to give you every detail of what to do just do what I ask of you now. The Lord at times will not give you another sign because you have all you need from Him to carry out the promise and work He has given you. He is telling Manoah to walk by faith. Manoah and his wife did walk by faith, and great things happened. It always does when you walk by faith.
Judges 13:24-25 The woman gave birth to a son. They named him Samson. The boy grew and God blessed him. The Spirit of God began working in him while he was staying at a Danite camp between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Judges 13:24-25 The Lord blesses Samson and starts working through him. 1. The Lord wants to start using you wherever you are at now.
Judges 14:1-4 1-2 Samson went down to Timnah. There in Timnah a woman caught his eye, a Philistine girl. He came back and told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, a Philistine girl; get her for me as my wife.” 3 His parents said to him, “Isn’t there a woman among the girls in the neighborhood of our people? Do you have to go get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”4 But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the one I want—she’s the right one.”
Judges 14:1-4 Sometimes you don't know what the Lord will do with your decision making. Yes, Samson was sinning against the Lord here, but you see that the Lord still choose to "use these circumstances for His purposes and His glory" (The Spirit Filled Life Bible, 2013, p.312). God also used these circumstances for Samson to fulfill his calling. I don't know how He does it, but He does.
Judges 14:5-6 Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother. When he got to the vineyards of Timnah, a young lion came at him, roaring. The Spirit of God came on him powerfully and he ripped it open barehanded, like tearing a young goat. But he didn’t tell his parents what he had done.
Judges 14:5-6 Ah the first superhero act done by Samson. Samson also does many more superhero acts by the power of the Holy Spirit. Such as Killing 30 men for their clothing to pay his due for the riddle the Philistines solved. (Judges 14:19-20). Catching 300 jackals and setting their tails on fire destroying the farm fields of the Philistines (Judges 15:4-5). Killing the Philistines who killed his wife and father-in-law (Judges 15:6-8). By killing a thousand Philistines with a donkey's jaw-bone (Judges 15:15-16). By carrying the gates of Gaza to the hills of Hebron (Judges 16:3). His final and most heroic act collapsing the temple of Dagon killing more Philistines than He did in his entire lifetime (Judges 16:23-31). The Holy Spirit empowers him to do each act protecting him from death each time other than his final act. All of these acts were impossible fleets to do by human strength, but when The Holy Spirit enables you, you can do the impossible because the God of Isreal makes the impossible possible. “The Same Holy Spirit who enabled these deliverers to do exploits and fulfill the Lord’s plans and purposes are at work today. He desires to move upon His people so that they too can do impossible things. The Lord wants to bring deliverance to His people, and He is looking for consecrated men and women who, He can empower with His Holy Spirit” (The Spirit Filled Life Bible, 2013). 2. He wants to use you to do impossible things!
Judges 15:11 Three companies of men from Judah went down to the cave at Etam Rock and said to Samson, “Don’t you realize that the Philistines already bully and lord it over us? So what’s going on with you, making things even worse?
Judges 15:11 The Israelites got so use to the Philistines ruling their lives that they accepted their fate instead of believing God to free them from their hands. Sin can do the same thing if you get controlled by it for a period of time, you get in a mindset that you can't be free. If you try to fight back, it seems you are making it worse not better. 3. Watch out for the sin that is in your life do not let it define you or rule over. Choose to let the Cross of Christ free you.
Judges 15:14-16 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came to meet him, shouting in triumph. And then the Spirit of God came on him with great power. The ropes on his arms fell apart like flax on fire; the thongs slipped off his hands. He spotted a fresh donkey jawbone, reached down and grabbed it, and with it killed the whole company. And Samson said, With a donkey’s jawbone I made heaps of donkeys of them. With a donkey’s jawbone I killed an entire company.
Judges 15:14 - Satan will be rejoicing when he thinks he has you all tied up and has triumphed over you, but that is when The Holy Spirit steps in and does an amazing accomplishment through you. 4. Just when you think it is over God has other plans.
Judges 15:18-19 Now he was suddenly very thirsty. He called out to God, “You have given your servant this great victory. Are you going to abandon me to die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” So God split open the rock basin in Lehi; water gushed out and Samson drank. His spirit revived—he was alive again! That’s why it’s called En Hakkore (Caller’s Spring). It’s still there at Lehi today.
Judges 15:18-19 Samson knew His God! He was aware that the Lord would provide water for Him. Know that God will provide for you when you ask Him! Samson had faith and Samson received what his faith spoke.
Judges 16:1 Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute. He went to her.
Judges 16:1 Samson’s sin of sexual sin and love for foreign women was his downfall. I believe it is one the greatest areas that can defeat anyone and set anyone back. Sexual sin is a sin against your own body (I Corinthians 6:18). If not controlled through the power of the Holy Spirit and kept in the lines of the marriage bed (Hebrews 13:4) it can have detrimental effects for your whole lifetime. “Samson’s physical strength enabled him to do exploits, but his moral weakness led to his eventual destruction” (The Spirit Filled Life Bible, 2013, p.313). It is better to have a stronger moral character than physical strength.
Judges 16:3 Samson was in bed with the woman until midnight. Then he got up, seized the doors of the city gate and the two gateposts, bolts and all, hefted them on his shoulder, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
Judges 16:3 - With the strength of the Holy Spirit you can carry the gates that hold you in and hold you back.
Delilah entices Samson day after day to tell her the secret of his strength. He could not withstand her, and he gave her the secret. The revealing of it become his ultimate downfall (Judges 16:1-24). The same with sin, a destructive thought-life, and fear it will continue to entice you day after day. If you do not use the Word of God to defeat those things they will be your ultimate downfall. Yes, the Lord can restore and give you another opportunity or dream to accomplish, but in a different way as we will see with Samson.
Judges 16:21-22 The Philistines grabbed him, gouged out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza. They shackled him in irons and put him to the work of grinding in the prison. But his hair, though cut off, began to grow again.
Judges 16:21-22 When all hope seems lost, and you feel God has abandon you because you have sinned greatly against him, God puts His "But" in there which is His Grace His second wind of chance. Samson's hair "though cut off, began to grow again." 5. No matter the devastation or shaving that sin, a destructive thought-life, or fear has done to you, growth can happen because once hair is cut it must grow again.
Judges 16:25-31 Then this: Everyone was feeling high and someone said, “Get Samson! Let him show us his stuff!” They got Samson from the prison and he put on a show for them. They had him standing between the pillars. Samson said to the young man who was acting as his guide, “Put me where I can touch the pillars that hold up the temple so I can rest against them.” The building was packed with men and women, including all the Philistine tyrants. And there were at least three thousand in the stands watching Samson’s performance. 28 And Samson cried out to God: Master, God! Oh, please, look on me again, Oh, please, give strength yet once more. God! With one avenging blow let me be avenged On the Philistines for my two eyes! 29-30 Then Samson reached out to the two central pillars that held up the building and pushed against them, one with his right arm, the other with his left. Saying, “Let me die with the Philistines,” Samson pushed hard with all his might. The building crashed on the tyrants and all the people in it. He killed more people in his death than he had killed in his life. 31 His brothers and all his relatives went down to get his body. They carried him back and buried him in the tomb of Manoah his father, between Zorah and Eshtaol. He judged Israel for twenty years.
I love Samson's prayer in verse 28 he knew His God, and he knew the Grace of God was for him, the Forgiveness of God was for him, a Second Wind was for him, and he was aware that God never strips away the Gifting He gives. Samson knew this truth and because of that Yahweh equipped him to do the mightiest act of his life killing over 3,000 Philistines. Samson’s last action was in obedience to God, and it fulfilled the prophecy spoken over him in Judges 13:5 “He will launch the deliverance from Philistine oppression.” 6. It’s never too late for you to be obedient to God, it’s never too late to fulfill the purpose God designed you to achieve, and it’s never too late to restart working in your gifting again. 7. Grace puts you in a position to finish your purpose to walk in your gifting again.
As Christians, we just look at Samson's failures, and we are quick to point them out. We do learn many things from his failures. What we miss though is the great faith and knowledge that Samson had in His God. I want to end this series with a scripture that gives Samson's legacy for who He was, it would probably surprise you. This scripture is the last scripture that mentions Samson in the Bible you may think it may point out his sins like we do, but it does not instead it honors his faith. Hebrews 11:32-34 says of Samson "I could go on and on, but I’ve run out of time. There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson (emphasis mine), Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith (emphasis mine), they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies." Who would of have thought that Samson is inducted into the Hall of Faith? But he is, and Grace and Faith have inducted him into the Hall of Faith! Actually, the truth is that Grace and Faith inducts all of us into the Hall of Faith.
If you would like to have this faith in Christ just say, Jesus, I have faith in the work you did on the cross. Thank you for saving me in Jesus name we pray amen! Start going to church, meet other Christians, and start reading the Bible daily and you will grow greatly in Christ.
Well, my readers, I am calling this post "The Conclusion of Jonah's Heroic Faith." His heroic faith in knowing who God is and preaching to Nineveh made Nineveh come to know the God of the Second Wind. Yes, Jonah made huge mistakes, and we should learn from them they are written down for us so we can learn from them and not fall into the same sulk as he did (Psalm 102:18, Romans 15:4, & I Corinthians 10:11). With all of his foolishness, he still had heroic faith. God used his faith to change Nineveh and us. Enjoy the conclusion of Jonah's story let it be of great comfort, conviction, and challenge meant for you to be more like Christ. I will be using the Message Bible this time as my reference to the Scriptures.
Jonah 3:1-5 1-2 Next, God spoke to Jonah a second time: “Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They’re in a bad way and I can’t ignore it any longer.” 3 This time Jonah started off straight for Nineveh, obeying God’s orders to the letter. Nineveh was a big city, very big—it took three days to walk across it. 4 Jonah entered the city, went one day’s walk and preached, “In forty days Nineveh will be smashed.” 5 The people of Nineveh listened, and trusted God. They proclaimed a citywide fast and dressed in burlap to show their repentance. Everyone did it—rich and poor, famous and obscure, leaders and followers.
In these first five scriptures, this is what we can learn and apply to our lives. The Lord never gives up on us He continues to speak with us time and time again. He continues to give us a chance after chance to choose to do the right thing by following Him. The Lord's standard and will does not change. He still wants us to reach out to the people He has called us to reach. Just do it, it so much easier than saying no or delaying. The motto from Nike Company comes to my mind "Just Do It!" Jonah was in a "Just Do It!" situation and he did. I have learned that if you act in faith and do what the Lord is leading you to do; it will always lead to a good result, maybe not the result you want, but a good result will come forth. Jonah obeys and brings the Lord’s message to Nineveh. Because of Jonah’s obedience in bringing the Word to Nineveh they heard it and became saved. God always does something when we are obedient to Him.
Jonah 3:6-9 6-9 When the message reached the king of Nineveh, he got up off his throne, threw down his royal robes, dressed in burlap, and sat down in the dirt. Then he issued a public proclamation throughout Nineveh, authorized by him and his leaders: “Not one drop of water, not one bite of food for man, woman, or animal, including your herds and flocks! Dress them all, both people and animals, in burlap, and send up a cry for help to God. Everyone must turn around, turn back from an evil life and the violent ways that stain their hands. Who knows? Maybe God will turn around and change his mind about us, quit being angry with us and let us live!”
You don't know the impact that your obedience has on those who are listening to you or watching you. Jonah’s message brought the city of Nineveh to repentance to God. Nineveh's response is so great that the King orders everyone including the animals to participate in the fast and repent to the Lord. All creation will worship the Lord. This action teaches us to continue to ask and seek God about all matters because just like the King said: "Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.” We never know what the Lord will do. Nineveh chose to believe the words of Jonah they did not assume that they could not be saved. No, they said let's seek His forgiveness. Nineveh had hope and faith that He would not destroy them but saved them because they repented of their ways. The King of Nineveh has another great line he says "Everyone must turn around, turn back from an evil life and the violent ways that stain their hands." What a great line by him! Each of us has violent ways that stain our hands to remove the stain we must come and receive the stain remover which is Christ's blood. Through Christ blood, our stains are removed. The next words spoken by the King are fulfilled in Christ. "Who knows? Maybe God will turn around and change his mind about us, quit being angry with us and let us live!” Asking for forgiveness and rerouting our ways makes God change His mind about us He does not see sin, failure, disappointment, or any other blemish of sin. He sees Christ He sees acceptance, victory, satisfaction, fulfillment, and every other thing that is in the identity of Christ. When we turn and leave our bad attitude, character, and morals and embrace God's He lets us live! Not only does He let us live in this life, but also in the life to come wow wow wow.
Jonah 3:10 God saw what they had done, that they had turned away from their evil lives. He did change his mind about them. What he said he would do to them he didn’t do.
We never know what the Lord is going to do. What we do know is that when we respond to Him something great and miraculous happens to us, in us, through us, and around us. Ephesians 3:20 (The Message) "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."
I know many Christians I as well forget that there is a fourth chapter in Jonah. If Jonah's story was a fairy tale, I believe it would end in chapter three. Why? Everyone repents, Nineveh becomes a worshipper of the One True God Yahweh. Jonah is happy that he obeyed God and that people responded to his preaching to have a relationship with God They all lived happily ever after. That is how it should end right? But not so. Jonah chapter 4 is overlooked by so many Christians including myself. To me, though it is the most important chapter of the four. Chapter 4 is the climax of the story. It junctures God's Grace is for us literally at anytime we need it.
Jonah 4:1-2 1-2 Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at God, “God! I knew it—when I was back home, I knew this was going to happen! That’s why I ran off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!
God is "sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!" Just let those words sink in and renew your mind.
Jonah 4:3-5 3 “So, God, if you won’t kill them, kill me! I’m better off dead!” 4 God said, “What do you have to be angry about?” 5 But Jonah just left. He went out of the city to the east and sat down in a sulk. He put together a makeshift shelter of leafy branches and sat there in the shade to see what would happen to the city.
I see this playing out in my life, and other Christian lives we see others getting a blessing we have received, or they have gotten it before us. God asks us this question "What do you have to be angry about?” The answer is nothing. We cannot compare the two blessings they are similar, but they are different. The blessings are working differently in each person's life. For example, marriage is a tremendous blessing from the Lord that is a similar blessing for many individuals to experience, but the success of each marriage is different for each couple it is cherished by the uniqueness in their lives separately. We should celebrate that and not sulk in another's person success especially when they are saved by the Lord.
Jonah 4:6-9 6 God arranged for a broad-leafed tree to spring up. It grew over Jonah to cool him off and get him out of his angry sulk. Jonah was pleased and enjoyed the shade. Life was looking up.
Even in Jonah's and our sulky state God chooses to be"sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!" Life is always looking up when we see and experience God's grace and mercy in our lives. Enjoy God's grace and mercy in your life be pleased with it. But do know it is for others to enjoy as well, and be pleased with it when grace and mercy enter into their lives.
Jonah 4:7-8 7-8 But then God sent a worm. By dawn of the next day, the worm had bored into the shade tree and it withered away. The sun came up and God sent a hot, blistering wind from the east. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head and he started to faint. He prayed to die: “I’m better off dead!” 9 Then God said to Jonah, “What right do you have to get angry about this shade tree?” Jonah said, “Plenty of right. It’s made me angry enough to die!”
Really? Jonah said that to the Lord? We all have said stupid and meaningless words to the Lord when we do not see the bigger picture the Lord is trying to make us see. The next time you are angry about a situation ask yourself "what is the bigger picture that I do not see here?" The Lord will show you just like He did Jonah.
Jonah 4:10-11 10-11 God said, “What’s this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can’t I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than 120,000 childlike people who don’t yet know right from wrong, to say nothing of all the innocent animals?”
The book of Jonah ends with a thought provoking question and reminder of the core of God's heart and feelings. That God's primary heart and feelings are to show His grace and mercy to all and saving as many as He can, as the scripture say "God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change" (2 Peter 3:9 The Message). His grace and mercy are even thought of, and for the animals, our God does care about saving all creation because He loves all of His creation. Chapter 4 teaches us that we need to celebrate others coming home and not be frustrated when they do. It is a time of happiness celebrating the dead coming to life. Have the outlook of the prodigal son's father not the prodigal's brother. His father celebrates this wonderful time of him coming home the brother was upset for the celebration of his return (Luke 15:20-32 Read in the Message Version it puts it really well). The ending of the book of Jonah reminds us to have God's heart, motives, feelings, and sight for all no matter the state they are in. If you would like to have this grace that the Father gives through Christ just say, Jesus, I have faith in the work you did on the cross. Thank you for saving me in Jesus name we pray amen! Start going to church, meet other Christians, and start reading The Bible daily and you will grow greatly in Christ.
Wow, we are on part three now of the series “God of the Second Wind.” We have looked at the stories of Rahab and Ruth, and now we are going to be looking at Jonah’s life. Every time I read through the book of Jonah God always shows me something new; I am excited to write and share with my readers the lessons we can learn from Jonah. In my previous post, we looked at Ruth’s life seeing how God choose Ruth by giving her a second chance when she married into the family of Naomi this was the beginning then after she moves back with Naomi to Israel God blesses Ruth with favor and protection under Boaz. Ruth moves in the obedience of what Naomi tells her to do by going and laying at the feet of Boaz telling us that to experience God’s “Second Wind” in our lives we must act in doing works of faith because faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). The book of Ruth ends with Chapter 4 revealing God’s “Second Wind” by having Ruth marry Boaz and being a part of the family line that brings forth King David and Jesus Christ. Now let’s feel and experience the refreshment from God’s “Second Wind” in Jonah’s life.
Jonah is also a short book like Ruth only four chapters long, but in these four chapters right from the beginning to the ending verses we see God being the “God of the Second Wind.” The first three verses show that the wind is already blowing. Jonah 1:1-3 NLT says “The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” 3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.” 1. God does not want us to be disobedient to His calling and actions He wants us to do, but if we choose the opposite direction, then God will use the opposite direction to be the direction that God uses to bring His “Second Wind” of Grace and Mercy into our lives. In verse four we see God is already moving with His wind because this violent wind that occurs while they are on the sea puts Jonah in a position to be carried away by God’s “Second Wind.” The storm comes the sailors on the ship are praying to their gods to deliver them, but they realize they are not answering them so they call for Jonah and tell him to pray to his God to see if He will deliver them. After the sailors had cast lots, it is discovered that Jonah is the guilty party that caused this storm. Verse twelve tells us something interesting it says “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault” (Jonah 1:12 NLT). Jonah admits to his fault he knows that his disobedience has caused this storm and put these sailors lives and his life in danger, but because he confessed his sin God’s Grace enters in and saves Jonah and the lives of the sailors. 2. When a person confesses their sins to Christ, it gives access to the power of Grace to operate in that person’s life and in lives of others around that person. Because of Jonah’s confession and the power, the Lord displayed it made the sailors realize that they needed to serve the God of Israel, and that is what happened. Verse sixteen says “16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.” Verse seventeen displays Grace in action it says “17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.” “This is obvious a miracle, the precise details of which are not stated. We do not know if the fish was a specially created one or a modified whale; nor do we know how Jonah breathed for 72 hours” (Hayford, 2013, p.1112) this action of grace is a miracle and gift from God into Jonah’s life. God took care of Jonah because God loved Jonah, He saw the potential in Jonah, and God wanted Jonah to have a second chance. 3. Grace is a miracle and a gift. Grace happens because God wants a relationship with you and because He wants you to fulfill your potential. Wow, grace at work let’s continue to see how it flows into Chapter two.
Chapter two opens with the prayer Jonah prays while in the belly of the fish, and it reveals to the reader the epochal of God’s Grace at work. Jonah 2:1-2 NLT Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. 2 He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!” Jonah prays to the Lord and in his great trouble, the Lord answered him from the land of the dead He heard Jonah’s prayer. What a picture of Grace! These words show that no matter where you are you can pray, and God hears your words. This prayer by Jonah has the essence of a prayer of thanksgiving. Jonah is thanking the Lord for protecting him from drowning (Life Application Study Bible, 2004, p.1460). The reader knows this because as you read the rest of the chapter Jonah gives detail information on his experience in the sea, and from it the reader can see that Jonah could have easily drowned. Verse 4, 6, and 7 tell us something “4 Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’ 6 I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! 7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. I find Jonah’s words interesting because His words are expressing that he knew about the power of God’s Grace. He knew it was for him, and he reached out for it and received it. He was not ashamed to grab hold of what he knew was his, but some Christians don’t immediately grab or receive God’s Grace as fast as Jonah did. No, instead these Christians feel they need to earn His Grace some way or mope and complain about their sin for a certain amount of time before asking God for forgiveness and receiving His grace. I know because I am one of those Christians. Christian as your brother in the Lord I warn you dearly don’t fall into that trap because it starts to produce a working mentality inside your mind. You will start to have a work mentality in your Christian walk with God instead of a Grace mindset which is what our Christian walk is founded on. I know because I have lived that way for many years, but God has revealed to me that Grace is the way to have a relationship with Him, and not by works. Verses nine, and ten says “9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone. 10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.” After experiencing God’s Grace inside the fish, the Lord orders the fish to spit him out, and gives Jonah “His Second Wind.” 4. An encounter with Grace happens to you so that you know that a second chance a fresh start is always there for you!
I have decided to break up this blog about Jonah into two parts because there is so much good information to share with you that I don’t want to cheat you out of all the information I will give you for chapters three and four. Stay tune part two is next! Thank you all for checking out my blog and following it! If you would like to meet God’s Grace that I have been writing about that Jonah experienced, then pray Jesus I ask you to come into my life I repent of my sins of my failures to you. Thank you for your Grace and giving me a fresh second wind I receive and live for you now in Jesus name we pray amen! If you said that prayer for the first time you are now a Christian and I celebrate with you! Now go start reading your Bible I recommend you start with Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John to know Jesus more than go from there, stay connected with other Christians, and find a church where you can learn and serve those around you.
Godspeed,
Robbie
References
Hayford, J. W. (2013). New Spirit Filled Life Bible. Thomas Nelson.
Life Application Study Bible. (2004). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
The 4th of July is a holiday celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4th, 1776. The United States of America (USA) gives thanks unto God for the freedom they received that day and they rejoice in the freedom they have. At the beginning of this month, you could sense and see that the atmosphere has changed in America. Religion, Family, Arts and Entertainment, Media, Government, Education, and Business all start to focus on the liberty and freedom that this day brings for America. As the atmosphere is still present and the bells of liberty, freedom, and independence are still ringing in our ears, I believe that our God wants to put you in remembrance and celebration of the liberty, freedom, and independence that you have received at the Cross. Just like the Declaration of Independence declares independence from Great Britain. The Cross is our Declaration of Independence from sin.
“We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven, and with a propitious eye beholds his subjects assuming that freedom of thought and dignity of self-direction which He bestowed on them. From the rising to the setting sun, may His kingdom come!” ~ Samuel Adams after signing the Declaration of Independence. Samuel Adams is American statesman, political philosopher, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
This blog is called "There is Freedom at the Cross!" Now before we can see, experience, and receive the Freedom that the Cross offers you must take a voyage that leads you through the seas to discover that there is Freedom at the Cross. You will see what pain has to do with liberty, how it connects to liberty, where liberty is found at, and then you will see where to receive the freedom God has for you at the Cross.
Before you can celebrate liberty, freedom, and independence in your life, you have to be somewhere else first either in a place of pain or bondage or both. The definition of liberty is: “1. The condition of being free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor. 2. a. The condition of being free from oppressive restriction or control by a government or other power." The definition of freedom is "The condition of not being in prison or captivity: The condition of not being constrained or restricted in a specific aspect of life by a government or other power. Dictionaries define Independence as the time when a country or region gains political freedom from outside control, freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others and freedom from control or influence of another or others.” These definitions reveal that you have to be in bondage before experiencing freedom or liberty.
Because “doesn’t pain have a way of just neutralizing us? You can pull one little muscle in your back, and your entire body wants to just sit down and avoid feeling that pain with every move. Not only that but also every time you do move, and that sharp pain shoots across your back; you’re reminded of that weird move you made that caused the injury in the first place. That pain serves to take you right back to that place where you were hurt” (Jentezen Franklin The Spirit of Python, 2013, p. 98-99). The same thing happens to us spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. All of us have or will experience some pain in all of these areas and what the enemy does is he keeps jabbing at that pain to keep you limited. He also connects that pain to memory to neutralize you. It seems that anytime you make progress in your life from that pain he locks you with the reminder of the pain and connects it with your past. “As long as the pain is there, you are still trapped by the memory. The enemy wants to keep you hurt over some situation, because as long as he has the pain that’s still there, he can take you right back to the place even if it happened years ago. (Jentezen Franklin The Spirit of Python, 2013, p. 98-99)
Luke 13:10-17 NASB 10 "And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit, and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, Woman, you are freed from your sickness. 13 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. 14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? 16 And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day? 17 As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.
Jesus spoke to the bondage and pain that this daughter of Abraham was experiencing the same with you, you must speak to the pain and bondage in your life and declare pain and bondage you have no hold over me because I have received the freedom that the Cross has given me to walk in liberty every day of my life. Tell the Devil as Jesus did that his prison cells can't hold you anymore you are free!
“Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are incapable of knowing their rights, and where learning is confined to a few people, liberty can be neither equal nor universal.” ~ Benjamin Rush is part of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He is a Physician, writer, educator, and signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Rush is telling people that to have freedom in your country; society must have knowledge, learning, and knowing your rights as citizens of that country. American citizens must educate themselves on the freedoms they have been given through the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. It's the same for Christians to walk in the freedom that the Cross gives them, they must become knowledgeable of its power and the authority Christ provides them with in His name. Christians always have to be learning about His Word knowing His promises so that when Satan tries to infect Christians with pain and bondage Christians can say No, I am not bound to that pain or bondage you can't hurt me anymore because of the Cross because of God’s promise to me. If Christians don’t read God’s Word, do not know His promises, and the power of the Cross, then the liberty He wants to give you is confined and then it cannot be equal or universal because it is limited. Our duty as Christians is to spread the news that there is Freedom at the Cross!
2 Corinthians 3:12-18 (Voice) "12 In light of this hope that we have, we act with great confidence and speak with great courage. 13 We do not act like Moses who covered his face with a veil so the children of Israel would not stare as the glory of God faded from his face. 14 Their minds became as hard as stones; for up to this day when they read the old covenant, the same veil continues to hide that glory; this veil is lifted only through the Anointed One. 15 Even today a veil covers their hearts when the words of Moses are read; 16 but in the moment when one turns toward the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 By “the Lord” what I mean is the Spirit, and in any heart where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is liberty. 18 Now all of us, with our faces unveiled, reflect the glory of the Lord as if we are mirrors; and so we are being transformed, metamorphosed, into His same image from one radiance of glory to another, just as the Spirit of the Lord accomplishes it." The word liberty or also translate freedom is the Greek word Eleutheria and it comes from the root word Eleutheros which means “freeborn in a civil sense, one who is not a slave of one who ceases to be a slave, freed, manumitted free, exempt, unrestrained, not bound by an obligation in an ethical sense: free from the yoke of the Mosaic Law.” If you have Christ living inside of you then the Spirit of the Lord is in your heart and liberty is in you all you have to do is claim it. You are rich in freedom now claim your inheritance at the Cross! Live every day with the liberty that is given to you from the Cross do not stay bound when you are free! Know from verse 18 that becoming free is a process sometimes it happens quickly, but other times it is step by step, but the great thing is that you will receive it one day "just as the Spirit of the Lord accomplishes it."
Luke 4:18 KJV "18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Freedom and liberty in the Greek are Aphesis it means “release from bondage or imprisonment forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty.” Bruised also can be translated oppressed in the Greek it is Thrauo it means “to break, break in pieces, shatter, smite through.” The Same Spirit that Christ had and worked through to fulfill this scripture is in you to free you.
“It is crucial to speak in faith to your mountain in order to break the permanence and break the pain and say, In the name of Jesus I’m trading my sorrows in for the joy of the Lord. Jesus can heal the pain and cut through the cords of yesterday’s painful memories. It has been long enough. It is time to break out of the devil’s prison. Jesus has given you victory, and if you are bound, you need liberty. If the enemy has wrapped himself around your life, encircling you in your pain, you need the healing of the Lord. Do not allow the enemy to wrap around your future, your freedom, or your success (Jentezen Franklin The Spirit of Python, 2013, p. 98-99).
John 19:30 NASB 30 "Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit." It is finished bondage and pain cannot hold you all you have to do is receive the Freedom the Cross gives you.
“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” ~ George Washington is the first President of the United States (1789–97), the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
"The best road to progress is freedom’s road" ~ President John F. Kennedy is the 35th President of the United States of America.
These two quotes tell that liberty starts when you take action or make progress. Today is that day for you! I encourage you to write your pain or bondage or both on a notecard or piece of paper and then if you have a cross in your home or picture the cross in your mind and lay it down at the Cross then stand up and shout for the Lord has given you the victory (Joshua 6:16)! If you don't know Christ, and you want this Freedom I speak about then just say Jesus I receive you as my Lord and Savior I repent of my sins I believe in You and I believe that today I have this freedom that is given at the Cross in Jesus name we pray amen! Now read The Bible read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, get connected in a church, and find other Christ followers and invest your time with them. Then watch what God does for you! Remember that becoming free is a process and today starts that process for you!
This post is part two of the Summer Series “God of the Second Wind Heroes of Faith” today’s blog is focusing on Ruth. This Summer series is about seeing the characteristic of how God is the “God of the Second Wind.” In part one we looked at Rahab and how God saved her from the destruction of Jericho, leading her to become part of Israel, marrying Salmon, being part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, and having her name placed in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11). Ruth’s life also reveals to the reader that God is the “God of the Second Wind.”
Ruth’s story is in the Book of Ruth. The Book of Ruth is a short book in the Bible only four chapters, but inside these chapters is a story filled with God’s Second Wind. As you will see a little bit later in this post-God’s Grace, Mercy, and Favor is upon Ruth’s life, but how did it begin? Ruth 1:1-5 NASB tells the reader how “1 Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there. 3 Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. 4 They took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.” By marrying one of Naomi’s sons, it gives Ruth entrance to know the God of Israel. Do not underestimate the relationships you have with people they are in your life for a reason you have an opportunity each time you are with them to let them know God personally for themselves. In verses eight thru thirteen Naomi tells Orpah and Ruth to return to their homeland, but the girls say no we want to go with you, Naomi insists that they leave and return to Moab because if they go with her they will not be able to marry again and that would be putting Orpah and Ruth in bondage. Orpah does return, but Ruth chooses to stay with Naomi. Ruth 1:16-17 NASB But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me." While Ruth was married to one of Naomi’s sons, she experiences something she sees something in Naomi’s family, and she wants it for herself. These words by Ruth are powerful, and they speak of a desire for the God of Israel to be her God, which opens up the door for God’s “Second Wind” to come into her life.
In Chapter 2 God starts to blow the “Second Wind” of His character over Ruth by blessing and protecting her under the watchful eye of Boaz. Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi rushes in the “Second Wind of God” by giving her a place to glean in the fields, water to drink, food to eat, giving her extra grain, and protecting her from others (Ruth 2:8-17).
In Chapter 3 Naomi tells Ruth to present herself to Boaz to claim him as her kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 3:1-5) because of Ruth’s obedience to the advice that Naomi gives her “God’s Second Wind” breathes on her again. Ruth teaches the reader that to experience “God’s Second Wind” in your life you must live by faith and let your faith produce works because faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26).
Chapter 4 brings the beginning to the end Boaz redeems Naomi’s family line by buying all that belong to Elimelech and his sons Mahlon and Chilion including marrying Ruth (Ruth 4:1-17). God uses the kinsman-redeemer Boaz to release His “Second Wind” into Ruth’s life not only blessing her greatly in the fields or marrying Boaz, but God as well adds her to the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Ruth 4:18-22 “18 Now these are the generations of Perez: to Perez was born Hezron, 19 and to Hezron was born Ram, and to Ram, Amminadab, 20 and to Amminadab was born Nahshon, and to Nahshon, Salmon, 21 and to Salmon was born Boaz, and to Boaz, Obed, 22 and to Obed was born Jesse, and to Jesse, David.” I want you as the reader of this blog to know that none of this would have happened if Ruth did not marry into Naomi’s family. Why do I bring that up? Because your actions and the decisions you make each day gives God the opportunity to blow His “Second Wind” upon you and those who come into your life each day. The Book of Ruth also teaches the reader that God can use you to be the initiator of His “Second Wind” to help others experience the refreshing wind of His Grace and Mercy just like Boaz did for Ruth.
Ruth’s story has God’s hands in it from the beginning even before anything happens in Ruth’s life God was moving. God used the move Elimelech made with his family to Moab to bring His “Second Wind” upon Ruth. I want you to search your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what is your “Elimelech move?” Why has God placed you here at this time in your life? It is for you to find your Ruth so that your Ruth can experience the rushing “Second Wind of God!” It is for your Ruth to have the same experience that the Ruth in the Bible has and that is knowing, living, and experiencing God’s grace, mercy, and favor in her life. Go ask the Holy Spirit to help you find your “Elimelech move” and “your Ruth.”
If you do not know this God, and you want what Ruth has then say this prayer: Jesus, I want you just like Ruth has you, I make you my God I repent of my sins. I receive the forgiveness you give me at the Cross I am yours, and you are mine forevermore in Jesus name we pray amen! Find a church that teaches the Bible truthfully with power and read your Bible each day start anywhere let God lead you. If you find yourself in a church or when reading your Bible that you are being comforted, convicted, and challenged to be like Christ on regular basis’s you are in the good soil, and you will grow.
