Ego

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Good morning, Lord

Verse of the Day: Romans 12:15

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Memory verse: Psalm 90:14

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.  

Today's reading: 2 CHRONICLES 10-12 JOHN 11:30-57

How Self-Centered Can One Be?

(Jonah 1,2 3,4)

Jonah ran from God because he hated the 'dirty pagans' God told him to go preach to. He was swallowed by a big fish and stayed in that stench for 3 days and finally said, "I will do what I said and I will say, Salvation comes from the Lord". The fish threw him up on the shore where God told him to go preach to the dirty pagans again. So, being a renewed man of his word, Jonah went to Nineveh and preached-and the people repented of their wicked ways-which Jonah hated. Jonah asked God to kill him.

Nothing was going his way.

Jonah went out to the east of the city and sat down. God made a vine grow  for shade for Jonah and he was very happy about that. The first thing that made Jonah happy-in this entire story-was a little shade from a plant-a thing. Then what I think was a cut worm came and killed the plant. Jonah was ready to die, again, this time over a vine.

Jonah knew if he went to Nineveh, that he would have no control over the outcome.

He knew if he did not say the right thing to God, he would not get out of the fish.

The people Jonah hated repented of their sin.

Jonah asked to die.

He had a tiny bit of shade that made him really happy and a worm killed it.

Jonah wished for death again.

 What can we learn from all this?

God is relentless to see His desires in us.

No matter how bad people are, God desires their repentance. He will use us in spite of our bad attitudes and gives us chance after chance to realize his love for people-to get our minds off of stuff and on to people.

So, we find ourselves somewhere between the beginning and where God wants us and our true desires.

It kind puts us in there somewhere with Jonah, does it not?

Pray for a change in your real desires toward people you do not love the way the Bible says to love.

Pray that He becomes more and more and you become less.

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Forgive me my self-consuming desires. Change my desires to yours. I do not love the way the Bible says. Teach me.

Patient and good God,

In the name of Christ Jesus,

Amen