Grace for the Race

Mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15)

Today is known as Patriot Day, and it marks the 19^th anniversary of what most Americans call “the 9/11 attacks,” when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, and hijacked United Airlines Flight 93, which was on course for Washington, D.C., but crashed in Pennsylvania because courageous passengers fought back. This life-altering event began at 8:46 am Eastern time, when the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. When the attack was over, four planes had been crashed and the two towers collapsed, leaving nearly 3,000 dead. On this day we pause to remember:

• Those who lost their lives due to this tragic event
• Those brave first responders who demonstrated sacrificial heroism
• Those who continue to mourn the loss of family members and friends

Let us recall this day that, no matter what happens in this world, our God is still on His throne and in complete control of all things, including even these horrific events. Let us pray for peace in this world and let us continue advancing the cause of the kingdom of Christ by sharing the love of God in Christ Jesus to all those we come in contact with.

Remember, Christian believer, there is a day coming when there will be no more mourning, no more pain, no more tears, and no more death. Jesus is coming back, and when He does, the truth of this Gospel-saturated saying from Tolkien’s The Return of the King —

“Is everything sad going to come untrue?”

— will be “Yes” and “Amen” for all those who are in Christ. Every sad experience you have ever had, and all the bad that has ever happened to you in this life will come untrue in the next life because of Jesus Christ.

May that truth set you free to be all God is calling you to be in Christ.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.(Psalm 18:3)

If you’re a regular reader here, you know that last week I began been looking closely at the life of David in an effort to answer a question that I believe many new Christian believers have, as I once did: How could God call David “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22) after David had committed such dreadful sin in seducing Bathsheba and arranging for the murder of her husband? On Monday we saw David’s repentance; today we will discuss his reverence.

After the heart beats for God in repentance, it begins to beat in reverence. David’s son Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7), and David demonstrated this divine understanding throughout his reign as king of Israel. Let’s look at two particular times when David’s heart of reverence beat strongest.

First, before David was given the throne in Israel, Saul occupied it. What started out as a right relationship quickly deteriorated into one where King Saul sought to take the life of David. While on the run from Saul, David found himself in a position to retaliate against Saul and actually take his life. Instead David sliced off a corner of Saul’s robe without him knowing it, an unmistakable indication that David had been right behind Saul while Saul was completely unaware and could easily have killed him if he wanted (1 Samuel 24:1-5).

Then David uttered the words that flow from a reverent heart for God:

“The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 24:6).

David had a fear, an awe, and a reverence for God; instead of retaliating against Saul, his heart beat in reverence for God.

Second, after he had been installed as the king of Israel, David decided to build God a temple. “Here I am,” David thought, “living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent” (2 Samuel 7:2). David actually received confirmation on his proposed building project from Nathan, the same prophet who had rebuked him for his sins against Bathsheba and Uriah. But then the word of the Lord came to Nathan, who had to go back to David and tell him this was not God’s will for his life. Rather, God said, “I will raise up your offspring to succeed you . . . he is the one who will build a house for my Name” (2 Samuel 7:12-13).

David’s plan to build God a temple was flatly rejected by God; how did David respond? Once again, with a heart of reverence. There was nothing wrong with David’s desire to build a house of worship for the one, true, living God. But it simply was not God’s will for his life. Yet even though God did not let David build Him a house, He promised to build David a “house”—that is, that David’s kingdom would live on forever (2 Samuel 7:16). And that promise ultimately found its fulfillment in our Lord Jesus Christ, who was a direct descendant of David.  

So, as we have seen in the life of the man after God’s own heart, David’s heart beat in reverence and awe for his God. When he was under attack by King Saul, David looked to His God in reverence. When he had a good and godly goal in mind, yet God closed the door, David looked to His God in reverence.

Is this the confession of our lives today? Do we have a heart that is fully given over to God, seeing Him as our loving, heavenly Father? When we sin—and there is no one who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46)—do we turn to Him in repentance? When life does not go the way we think it should—when trials come and plans are disrupted, do we still worship our Lord with reverence and awe?

These things aren’t always easy for us to do, but be encouraged today! David fell, and fell badly, on more than once occasion. Yet Scripture calls him the man after God’s own heart. That means that you and I can prayerfully aspire to have the same kind of heart for God as David . . . and look forward to hearing our Lord’s approving words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:1-2)

No heart beats for God until it first beats in repentance. We know this to be true, for it was the very first message of salvation from our Lord Jesus Christ: “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15 ESV).

Psalm 51 has been called the great psalm of repentance; it was penned by David after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan regarding David’s sin with Bathsheba. Nathan was an instrument of sanctification in David’s life; God sent him to confront the king about his wicked acts of adultery and murder. When David’s conscience was seared by his sinful acts, he raised his eyes to heaven and said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13).

I told you last week that I was bothered by David when I was young in the faith, and this statement was one of the things that bothered me! I would have thought that a truly repentant David would have confessed that he had sinned against Bathsheba, her husband Uriah, and the people of Israel before he brought God into the picture.

But I learned something valuable early on: At the deepest level, all sin is against God. Yes, David sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah, and all the people of God whom David had been entrusted to lead as king. But ultimately, David’s sin—and all of your sin and mine—rises to the level of God, and at that level, it includes everyone else that he (and we) sinned against along the way. Notice David’s confession in Psalm 51:4—

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”

Only when we understand that all our sins are an offense to God and a rebellion against His will for our lives do we begin to understand true, biblical repentance of the heart. David understood this and cried out for God’s merciful forgiveness. Consider David’s actions within the context of Psalm 91, which reads in part –

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge
and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” . . .
“Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91:1-2, 14-16)

David saw God as his refuge and his fortress of salvation. Even though he recognized that he had sinned terribly against both God and man, he knew that there was only one place to go for deliverance—only one place where forgiveness is found: at the throne of grace of the Most High. David called upon his Lord; God heard David’s prayer and knew David’s heart. This is why God could call David “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22) and why God forgave His sin.

The Lord does not look with compassion on a heart that beats perfectly, because there is no such thing among all the sons of men (Psalm 14:2-3). But our God does smile with favor on the heart that beats for Him and trusts in Him alone for redemption and forgiveness.This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

“I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” (Acts 13:22)

When I was a new believer, I struggled mightily with today’s verse. King David had not only used his position of authority to commit adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, but after learning that Bathsheba was pregnant by him, David ordered the death of Uriah in an attempt to conceal his sin. How in the world could a just and righteous God speak so kindly about David in Acts 13:22? I was badly confused!

And then, as I recently told our congregation at Cross Community Church, Jeff, my first Christian mentor, said to me, “Tommy, your problem is that you think you are better than David.”

“Well, of course I do,” I promptly replied. “I have never cheated on Kim, and I certainly haven’t committed murder!”

That was the beginning of Jeff’s patient instruction in the all-important area of understanding the truth about the human heart. Here are two of the most foundational verses of Scripture, both of which mince no words in describing the condition of the human heart after the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.(Genesis 6:5)

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

Before we are saved, our hearts beat continually for the sinful self. We want what we want and when we want it, regardless of the cost or circumstance. Like the spoiled little girl in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, we are continually pouting and shouting “I want it NOW!”

That truth was easy for me to understand and accept. What was much harder for me to absorb was the condition of the human heart after we are saved. When we are saved, by grace through faith, the heart begins to beat for the Savior, but not continually. Sometimes it beats for the Savior, but at other times it still beats for the self. I have cited Galatians 5:17 here many times:

The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit,

and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.

They are in conflict with each other,

so that you do not do what you want.

This truth helped me understand what God was saying about David . . . and, in essence, what God is saying about all of us. Please hear this clearly, Christian, and be encouraged today! When God said David was a man after His own heart, He was not saying David’s heart beat perfectly for Him, because no human heart beats perfectly for God on this side of the grave. But David had given his heart to God, even though there were times when it still beat for the sinful self.

The same is true for you and me and all those who have truly placed their trust in Christ.

Next week I will share a few reasons why David is called “A man after God’s own heart.” As always, my hope is to encourage you as you are confronted, as I was, with the inescapable truth that none of us is better than David. We commit spiritual adultery when our hearts beat for something smaller than Jesus, and we commit murder when we hate others. And yet, just like David, whose heart beat imperfectly for God, we are totally loved and fully forgiven.

Come back next week and rejoice in the truth that, to borrow from the great nineteenth-century hymn we recalled in the previous article, sin’s crimson stain still mars our walk with Christ, but His blood shed on our behalf leaves us washed white as snow in the sight of God. This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep . . .(Hebrews 13:20)

Whether it was the original hymn or the most modern contemporary version, most churchgoers have sung Jesus Paid It All. The lyrics, written in 1865 by Elvina Hall, are as powerful (“Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow”) as they are personal (I stand in Him complete.”)

These lovely words reflect the truth that God never had a “Plan B.” God’s only plan, His perfect, eternal plan, has always been that sin would be atoned for through “the blood of the eternal covenant,” that covenant being demonstrated through the sinless life, sacrificial death, and supernatural resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus did indeed pay it all for us, and when He cried out on the cross, “It is finished!” He meant exactly that: Atonement had been made, and the sin debt is paid in full!

Is it not a source of cosmic comfort to know that Jesus paid it all on your behalf and that there is no “Plan B” for you to contribute to? Our salvation is not secured by Jesus “plus” anything—Jesus plus our good works, Jesus plus our church attendance, Jesus plus baptism, Jesus plus putting money in the plate, etc. Salvation is secured by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Do you need convincing of that glorious truth? Look no further than the words of our Lord. When the crowd that followed Him asked, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus replied directly:

This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. . . . For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:28-29, 40 ESV)

It has been well said that far too many Christians believe that Christ made the down-payment for their salvation, but the Christian is responsible to make the installment payments on it. Nothing could be further from the truth! If you are trying to “pay” for your salvation through your deeds—giving of your time, your talent, or your treasure—you are simply not trusting in the finished work of Christ. Your good works are certainly good things to do; they demonstrate a changed life in Christ and they represent our heartfelt “Thank you” for all we have received in Him. But those good deeds are the fruit of your salvation, not the root of it.

A changed life flows from a saved life; nothing you do adds any value to what Jesus has already done for you. As I recently told our congregation at Cross Community Church, you cannot make God love you any more than He already does.

God will not love you any more because you do more, and God will not love you any less because you do less. You are completely and eternally loved because of God’s grace in Christ. Most of us have a difficult time believing this truth because we have been in relationships where love did not last or that love was performance-based. And, of course, the reason for this is because we are broken people living with and loving other broken people. But when it comes to our relationship with Jesus, His love is unconditional, unwavering, and eternal. “He chose us in [Christ] before the creation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4); that was always the plan, and there is nothing the creature can do to cause an eternal, unchanging God to change His mind.

Remember, your salvation is either all because of Jesus or not because of Jesus at all. You must choose: Trust in God’s plan, which means that you trust completely in what Jesus has done on your behalf, or put your faith in your own bootleg “Plan B,” which means trusting in whatever you are able to do for Him in order to earn His favor. In light of what Isaiah 64:6 which tells us, that even our best works are like “filthy rags” in comparison to the perfection of Holy God, the choice could not be clearer.

Say it with me now: No Plan B for me! This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light. (Isaiah 60:20)

In the beginning of recorded history, God said, “Let there be light.” Physical light came into this world, and that light pointed to an even greater Light. I may pray that today’s word of encouragement will empower you to be everything this Light is calling you to be.

When Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), what was it that He wanted them to know? He wanted them to know that He was the true Light shining in a dark world (John 1:5), and that by His light we are able to see ourselves for what we really are: sinners in desperate need of a Savior . . . and that Savior’s name is Jesus Christ.

It is the light of Christ that brings life to this world and everything that is in it. When we follow the light of Jesus, we no longer walk in darkness. We walk according to the plan and purpose that God has for our lives; and when we do not stumble into sin, it is because the light of the Lord lights the path we are to walk.

Notice what Scripture says about this everlasting Light:

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light. (Revelation 21:23-24)

On that first Easter morning, God the Father put His stamp of approval on God the Son through the power of God the Holy Spirit and made the Son rise from the grave. When Jesus walked out of the grave, He conquered sin, Satan, and death, and in so doing, He established Himself as the true Light of the world that will never go out. By following the light of Christ, we have the assurance that we will never walk in darkness, which is the assurance of God’s gracious gift of salvation. And this assurance empowers us to be what we have been called to be: “lights” (Matthew 5:14) in this dark world that shine for the benefit of others.

Think about it this way: The moon has no light of its own. The light from the moon we see at night is light reflected from the sun. Just like the moon, we have no light of our own. Our light comes from the true Son, the Light of the world, and we are to reflect His light for all the world to see. The closer we walk with Jesus, the brighter our light will shine. People will see our light in the gracious words we use and our selfless acts of service, and these will bear witness to the True Light that shines in the hearts of all Christian believers.

Let me leave you with this question: How brightly does the Son rise each day in your life? Does it light the path for those you walk with? Does it help others to see clearly and keep from stumbling into sin? Remember, the more you let your light shine, the more the Son will rise in the lives of others, lifting them out of the depths of darkness to walk in His everlasting light.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

(Matthew 5:14-16)This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2

Oh, what a promise we have from our God today! What a Word of encouragement! With the Lord Jesus on our side, we are fireproof. Read on, and see that you have a God who has not only promised to never leave nor forsake you, but also vows to protect you every step of the way.

As I often do, let me begin by making it clear what this promise that our Lord uttered through the prophet Isaiah is not saying. It is not saying that the people of God will never face difficulties in this life. It is not saying the people of God will not encounter storms or be hurled into the furnace of affliction. Note well that the promise does not say “If you walk through the fire,” but “When.”

What God is telling us is that no matter what happens to us on this side of the grave, no matter what fiery furnace we may find ourselves in, nothing can or will ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. We are guaranteed to go into our Promised Land. Peter exulted that we have received “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:4-5 emphasis added).

I’m sure you remember the story of Daniel’s three companions—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who refused to bow down to the statue King Nebuchadnezzar and were thrown into a furnace in which the flames had been heated seven times hotter than usual. Yet not a single thread was singed on their garments. Why? Because Jesus was in the fire with them, and it was not their time to go on into glory. The three young Hebrew men were fireproof! And the same is true for every child of God. Until we have completed the work God has set before us, nothing can stop us. No storm wind can topple us. No fiery furnace can consume us. No wave of challenge can wash us out to sea.

What challenges have you been facing lately? Where have you encountered what seems like an insurmountable obstacle? Fear not! God is not finished with you yet. Remember, fire was a literal event in the lives of Daniel’s three friends, but for most of us it symbolizes anything that comes up against us that tests our faith and seeks to keep us from doing God will. At those times—when we are surrounded by such flames—we must always keep in view that greater is the power that is in us than any power that can come against us (1 John 4:4). You have His Word on that!

Here is one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture, “When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep” (Acts 13:36). David was completely fireproof . . . until he had completed his mission on this earth, and then he fell asleep and awoke in the presence of the Lord his God. The same is true for every child of God, including you, Christian. May that truth encourage you and empower you to keep on serving your Lord, no matter what “fires” you may face throughout your life.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:16)

Today we are looking at a passage from what is often called the Hall of Faith chapter in the Bible—“Hall of Faith” being a play on words from the sports phrase “Hall of Fame.” In Hebrews 11 we read about the great faith of many of the Old Testament saints of God, from Abel to Abraham, and contained within that chapter are the incredible words of comfort and challenge given in today’s verse. Because God’s saints were walking with God by faith and not by sight, longing for their heavenly home, God says this about them:

I AM NOT ASHAMED TO BE CALLED THEIR GOD!

Let me be perfectly clear here: The reason God is not ashamed to be called their God is not because these great saints of God did not do any shameful things. You will remember that Abraham twice tried to save his own skin by telling both Pharaoh in Egypt and King Abimelek of Gerar that his beautiful wife Sarah was his sister (Genesis 12:13, 20:2). One such lie would have been cowardly enough, but the man whom Scripture calls the father of the faithful did this twice! That’s pretty shameful don’t you think?

After Noah’s staggering act of faith—building a huge ark on dry ground—we find him so drunk that he was passed out naked in his tent. And both Noah and Abraham look like children at play when one considers that gross misdeeds of David, called by Scripture the man after God’s own heart, who seduced a married woman and then directly orchestrated the death of her husband to cover up his own sin. More shameful events in the lives of God’s people! Yet God is not ashamed to be called their God. Why? Because they were His by faith, blemishes and all, just as you and I are His.

Isn’t that a word of comfort? But this is also a word of challenge for you and me. Why? Because no matter how badly we fail, no matter how many times we fall short of the mark God has set before us, no matter how many times we behave shamefully, we can be sure that He still loves us and is not ashamed to be called our God.

Think about the last time you really fouled things up . . . I mean, you totally blew it. No matter how you or others felt about what you did or failed to do, God is not ashamed to be called your God. Knowing that God will not look shamefully at you, no matter what mistakes you make, should motivate and empower you to strive to be all He is calling you to be, regardless of the cost or circumstance.  

Shame and embarrassment can stifle our desire to respond to God’s call for fear of failure and rejection. Remember, every great saint listed in the Hall of Faith failed God and failed Him badly, frequently on more than one occasion. Yet God is not ashamed to be called their God. The sure and certain knowledge that we serve a God who will always look upon us with love, a God who will never leave us nor forsake us, provides the solid foundation upon which we are to build a life that attempts great things for God, because whether we accomplish those things or not, God’s love and acceptance never wavers. God is never ashamed to be called our God . . . and therefore we should never be ashamed to act as His servants and emissaries to a lost, broken, and hurting world.  This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” (Luke 19:5)

Today we will conclude our four-part series of articles on the unusual, unique, and even “odd” ways of God when He calls and commissions His people into His service. As always, my prayerful intent is that these messages will provide you with biblical hope and encouragement, but I also I hope that this “Odd God” series will motivate you to do two things: First, to look back and prayerfully consider how God has worked in your life; and second, to look ahead to make sure you do not miss something special God might be doing in your life right now.

Today we will look at the calling of the tax collector in a tree, a calling every bit as odd as the callings of Moses, Gideon, and Jonah. Zacchaeus was despised by his fellow Israelites because he was a Jew who had sold his services to the hated Roman occupiers, who levied heavy taxes on Israel and all the nations under their rule. The Israelites hated paying taxes to the pagan Roman government, but when those who collected those taxes were their own countrymen, they hated those tax collectors even more. Men like Zacchaeus were regarded as traitors at best and heartless thieves at worst, because they were allowed to collect as much tax money as they could get, just as long as they paid the agreed-upon tax to their Roman overlords. Thus many of these tax collectors had become very wealthy on the backs of their fellow Israelites. Luke’s gospel is careful to point out that Zacchaeus “was a chief tax collector and was wealthy” (Luke 19:2). Oh, there was a lot about this man to dislike!

But then Jesus showed up. When Jesus entered Jericho, huge crowds gathered to see the son of David, whom many believed had come to overthrow the hated Roman rulers. Zacchaeus wanted to see this Man, but due to his short stature, Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree so that he could get a better look at Jesus as He passed by. But to his great surprise, Jesus stopped directly under his tree, looked up, and called Zacchaeus out of the tree and into the Truth.

Naturally, the people watching were not happy that Jesus would even speak to this loathsome traitor to the Jewish nation, but Jesus was not done yet. The next thing He did was invite Himself to Zacchaeus’ house. And at that meal, Zacchaeus’ surprise turned into sold-out submission and surrender to his Savior.

Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:8)

As you look back in your life, has Jesus been calling you down from any “tree” to in order to move you from spectator to servant? Perhaps, like Zacchaeus, you have been “out on a limb,” more concerned about meeting your own needs than the needs of others? Perhaps our loving Lord is reminding you to love your neighbor as yourself?

Remember, our “Odd God” is in the business of calling His people into service in unexpected and unprecedented ways. Be on the lookout for His call on your life! And when you hear that call, I pray that you will eagerly respond, just as the little man with the big heart for God did.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17)

We are in the midst of a series of articles that I’ve titled “Odd God” . . . “Odd” in the way that He calls people into the service of advancing His kingdom. We’ve looked at the callings of Moses and Gideon; let’s spend today some time with the course correction that our Lord provided for Jonah.

God called Jonah to go and preach destruction to the Ninevites if they did not change their ways. But when God told Jonah to go, Jonah said no because he hated the Assyrians, who had cruelly oppressed Israel, and Nineveh was the prosperous capitol city of Assyria. Unlike Moses and Gideon, who tried to talk God out of calling them into service, Jonah hopped a ship headed in the exact opposite direction of where God had called him to go.

Jonah’s attempt to avoid his calling didn’t work out so well. God sent a violent storm that terrified the sailors on the ship, who woke Jonah from a sound sleep and pressed him to call on his God to save them. Next, the sailors cast lots to see who was responsible for the storm and the lot fell on Jonah. (You’ll recall that Proverbs 16:33 informs us that “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”)

I try to picture the looks on the sailors’ faces—anger and terror struggling for supremacy—as Jonah explained that he was running away from God’s call on his life. Rather than suggesting that the ship redirect to Nineveh, Jonah told the sailors to throw him into the sea and the storm would subside. The sailors tried to row the boat back to shore, but when the storm grew even worse, they cried out to God, asking that they not be held accountable for the life of Jonah, and threw him into the sea. The storm immediately subsided.

Now here’s the really “odd” part: Jonah spent three days and nights in the Hotel Huge Fish. At checkout time, the great fish spit Jonah out onto the shore . . . and now Jonah was ready to fulfill God’s call on his life!

What happened next can only be explained by the power and grace of God. Jonah preached perhaps the shortest sermon in recorded history: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned” (Jonah 3:4), and 120,000 pagans, including the king of Nineveh, repented in prayer and fasting. It was the kind of response that any itinerant preacher can only dream of, and our gracious God relented from sending the calamity on Nineveh that He had threatened.

Sadly, there was one itinerant preacher who was not delighted by God’s amazing grace: our reluctant prophet Jonah. Jonah sulked and grumbled –

O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live. (Jonah 4:2-3)

In looking back in your life, can you see any “great fish” that God used to provide course correction when He was calling you into His service? Perhaps, like Jonah, you sensed God’s call on your life and your response was, “No way!” Were you headed in one direction and suddenly found yourself going in another? Remember, our “Odd God” is in the business of calling His people into His service in unexpected and unprecedented ways. Be on the lookout!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!