Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Have you ever wondered after making a decision, what the outcome might have been had you decided to do something different? I have many times. I’ve faced critical decisions which, had I decided a different course than I did, would have changed my life significantly. I can think of three or four specific times when this happened. When I read the book of Jonah, it’s obvious, he faced such a critical decision when God directed him to go and preach His message to the great city of Nineveh. The focus of the book is, Mobilized to Minister. When I amplified this focus, I identified Chapter 1 as an, “it might have been,” experience. In the first couple of verses it’s clear that Jonah received God’s Word. Then it describes how he rebelled against God’s directive. The chapter closes on a more positive note, pointing out how God’s Word nevertheless accomplished a work in the hearts of the sailors on the ship Jonah took to Tarshish. This is an example of what is described in Isaiah 55:10-11. What happens when we receive God’s Word as God speaks to us through our reading the Bible, or listening to it preached, or discussing it with others? It opens the door to phenomenal potential. Jonah knew this from experience. It’s recorded in 2 Kings 14:25 where he predicted God’s plan to restore territory to Israel, and it happened. Never underestimate what God can do in and through your life. Listen to what He says, and then obey it.