Read: Jonah 1:13-17SOAP: 1 John 1:9
S: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
O&A: It is really interesting that the SOAP passage says "he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness", and in Yonah, we see that they threw Yonah into the sea. What a visual of being cleansed! Abba didn't have mercy on just the people on the ship, but of course as we continue, we learn of His tender and loving mercies towards each of us.
Didn't the men on the ship initially try to do exactly as Yonah did? They tried to run from Adonai's ruling, and it got worse for them! So not only am *I* Yonah, but so were they!
I need to add in 1 John 1:10, also, "If we say that we haven't sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." I, for one, do not want to make the Creator of the universe a liar! I have actually used this with my sons in regards to consequences of their actions. If I had told them, "If you choose to do (this), then (that) will be the consequence", and they still choose to do the thing, (and it is apparent that it was willful disobedience), then I would ask them if they remembered the consequence. If they asked me not to follow through on the consequence, I would tell them that if I did not follow through, then it would make me a liar because I would not have done what I said I would do. (Of course there are times of mercy, because Adonai DOES show us mercy, but it isn't every time because then what would we learn?)
When we try to do things our way, we are not giving glory to our Father, our Adon/Lord; we are trying to give glory to ourselves. Yonah was choosing disobedience, the men on the ship were choosing disobedience, and how many times have I chosen disobedience? And what does it take for us to cry out to the One True God, and repent and do what's right? Will we continue to fight as the storm grows more tempestuously around us, and keep thinking, "I've got this. I can do this." Or will we fall in submission to Adonai, and truly understand that He does not do things to please US..? Yes, He does things that we feel pleased by, but He doesn't do it for our sake, but His.
P: Abba, my Father, You are worthy to be praised, and I praise You for Your sake, not my own! I am so thankful for Your mercies, for Your love, and for Your salvation. Abba, I don't want to be like Yonah, but I realize sometimes I do run away from what You've called me to run toward. I pray for Your discernment to know what to do, where to go, which direction to travel, etc., because my feet don't always know where to go. I pray for Your discernment in my friendships, in my homeschooling, and really in every interaction I have so that I will not stray from Your calling. In Yeshua's name, Amein.
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