In Touch - Aug. 26, 2006
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- 2006 Aug 26
In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley
Saying Yes (When We Want to Say No)
In a fish’s belly, Jonah recommitted himself to the Lord’s purpose. But the popular Bible story about the consequences of disobedience doesn’t end with Jonah obeying God. The book actually concludes with him acknowledging why he didn’t want the job — and with the Lord chastising him for his selfish reasons. You see, Jonah was afraid that the Ninevites, who were a threat to the Jewish people, might actually repent, and then his merciful God would not destroy them. The reluctant prophet admitted he wanted to see them wiped out: “Therefore in order to forestall [their salvation] I fled to Tarshish” (Jonah 4:2). When the Lord relented, Jonah’s trip became a success to everyone but him.
Believers resist doing God’s will for many reasons — fear, feelings of inadequacy, etc. Sometimes, although we don’t like to confess this, we say no because we dislike the probable outcome of obedience. As Jonah did, we also can lose sight of spiritually important things and focus on our own desires and comfort.
Our unhappiness with what we think might happen is not a reason to resist God’s plan. If the Lord calls us to act, He will take care of the end results. Our job is to obey.
What form of selfishness is keeping you from obeying the Lord? Maybe you are too angry with your spouse to work on your marriage or too hurt to welcome back a repentant child. But we are not to be ruled by our feelings, no matter how strong they are. Obedience is required of you. The final results may surprise you, particularly how blessed you will be for having followed God.
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How do you see yourself?
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“Now that You Believe” – Learn your true identity as a loved, forgiven and redeemed child of God.
“Understanding What Has Changed” – At the point of salvation your very nature changed. Learn how to walk in that truth.
