Part 1: Running From God
LOVE IN ACTION
PART 1
Jonah 1
1. YOU ARE CALLED BY GOD TO DO SOMETHING TO SHARE HIS LOVE.
“The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce My judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”’ Jonah 1:1-2 (NLT)
2. YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND A SHIP LEAVING IF YOU WANT TO RUN AWAY FROM GOD.
“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.” Jonah 1:3 (NLT)
Jonah wanted a god of his own making.
“But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. Jonah 1:4 (NLT)
Storms always reveal who we really are.
“Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold.” Jonah 1:5 (NLT)
3. ARE YOU RUNNING FROM GOD?
“So the captain went down after him. ‘How can you sleep at a time like this?’ he shouted. ‘Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.’ Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. ‘Why has this awful storm come down on us?’ they demanded. ‘Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?’ Jonah answered, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.’” Jonah 1:6-9 (NLT)
“Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered Him a sacrifice and vowed to serve Him.’” Jonah 1:15-16 (NLT)
“Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17 (NLT)
Three Asks for 30 Days of Love in Action:
1) Participate with a group or as an individual in local service projects.
2) Participate in the church-wide prayer walk today.
3) Participate in the church-wide reading plan on My Church on the Bible App.
MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS:
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This week’s Reading Plan and blog/podcast:
YouVersion® Bible App Reading Plan:
“For God Has Not Given You the Spirit of Fear” (3 days)Blog and Podcast: Re-visit
“Our First Love” February 27, 2022