The Time Out Lesson

“But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside

the fish three days and three nights.”

Jonah 1:17 (NIV)

 

My kids hated time out when they were little and got into trouble. To be honest, I think it was as much for me as it was for them. Love my kids? Passionately with every ounce in my body. Protect them if someone tried to hurt them? Like a seven foot tall gorilla with a stun gun.

 But when they could not handle a situation themselves without falling apart or attacking each other, a time out seemed like the perfect answer. They could sit down and I could calm down.

 I remember a few of the many reasons for assigning a time out through the years: when my son attempted to sweep up his sister in the vacuum. And when my daughters tried to darken their bedroom by putting a blanket over a light bulb and caused a fire.

 Almost every time they received a time out, it served as a punishment for not obeying our rules at home. But I also reminded them that this was a perfect opportunity to think about what they had done and what they could do differently the next time. There was always a lesson to learn in each time out.

 Jonah 1:17 talks about someone else who was in time out but he wasn’t sitting on a kitchen chair thinking about his choice. He was in the belly of a whale. And it wasn’t a mom who had put him there but God.

 His name was Jonah and he had been given a specific directive by God in verse 2: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah did not want to obey.

 Perhaps he knew about their idol worship and cruelty to prisoners of war and didn’t want to go near the people who lived there. Or maybe he just didn’t trust God to take care of him.

 No matter the reason, Jonah didn’t obey and God quickly gave him a time out to think about his poor choice – by allowing him to be swallowed by a whale.

 Now, can I just say here that one gulp and I think I would have been a believer and confessed my disobedience to God? I’m sure I would have. And Jonah, from the whale guts, probably prayed immediately to God and repented, thanking Him for saving his life and vowing to do exactly what God had asked him to do in the first place, by preaching to the people of Nineveh.

However God, in His infinite wisdom, allowed Jonah to sit a bit longer in time out to learn an important lesson: when God says “go,” you go. Jonah needed to be obedient to God’s directing.

 He also needed to understand that in His mercy and forgiveness, the Lord had provided for him and answered his prayer to save his life.

 In verse 10 we read that God commanded the whale to spit Jonah out on dry land so that he could immediately do what he should have done in the first place: preach the message of God’s destruction to the people of Nineveh if they did not repent.

 Have you ever experienced a time out from God? Perhaps you didn’t find yourself on a kitchen chair and hopefully not in the belly of a whale! Maybe the Lord prompted you to write a note or visit an elderly neighbor or buy groceries for the person in line ahead of you but you ignored that nudge.

 I encourage you to listen to the Lord speaking to your heart and to obey. He is faithful to His children. But if needed, He will use a time out.

         Father, I want to listen and obey but sometimes I’m like Jonah. Thank you for your mercy and forgiveness and patience. And for giving me another opportunity to do exactly as you direct. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

 

Reflect

• Have you ever felt the Lord nudging you to do something but you chose to ignore the Spirit and make a totally different choice? Did you find yourself in a period of time out after that?

 

Apply

• Write on a note card “Is this from you, God?” and put it in your purse. When you feel a nudge to help someone, glance at the card and ask God that simple question. Follow His guidance.

 

Power

• Jonah 1:17 (NIV) “But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.”

 

• Psalm 46:10 (NIV) “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

 

• Psalm 62:5 (NIV) “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.”

How to Fix the Highs and Lows

“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees;

I will not neglect your word.”

Psalm 119:15-16 (NIV)

 

I have a condition known as hypoglycemia. It happens when my blood sugar (glucose) is used up too quickly or when it goes into my bloodstream too slowly. The symptoms I get can vary. I might suddenly become shaky, very tired and hungry or I may get confused or irritable. Yes, I know some of you are thinking “So how is that different from any other day?” Very funny.  

If it becomes too severe, hypoglycemia can lead to seizures or even a coma. Thankfully I have never gotten to that point but I know that in order to avoid those major side effects, I have to take care of myself.

 Friends, here’s the truth: sometimes I am not careful. Yes, I am very aware that I need to eat small meals throughout the day and not skip a meal or go too long between them. I also know that if I eat a diet every day that is balanced with protein, vegetables, fruits and fiber while limiting sugars, I will have very few episodes of hypoglycemia.

And yet, too often I try a “quick fix” like a candy bar to correct the problem.  And it will “fix” the low blood sugar – for a while. But all the candy bar will end up doing is shooting my blood sugar up as it dumps a temporary boost into my bloodstream and then disappearing as I drop to another low.  And I am left with the choice of either grabbing another candy bar for another temporary fix or eating a meal that is balanced.

Sometimes my prayer life is like that. I am in God’s Word for days, seeking His face, asking for His guidance, praising Him for His grace and forgiveness. I am “balanced” and ready for anything that might come my way.

But one day I “skip a meal” of His Word and think I can make up for it later with a “candy bar” in the form of a verse or two from Scripture and a short prayer. Will it give me a temporary boost? Sure. But now I have a decision to make.

I can either wait until another low comes, whether it is a situation at work or a concern at home, grab another verse or two and hope it moves me up into the high range. Or I can make time to feast daily on balanced meals of reading God’s Word and seeking His direction for my life.  

Just as a balanced diet every day can prevent the majority of my blood sugar lows, so a diet of being in God’s Word daily can keep me balanced between the highs and lows of life in every situation that I face. I encourage you to stay in the Word and spend quality time before the One who is a permanent “fix” for the highs and lows of life.

Lord, I do not want a temporary fix of a few minutes with you every day or two. I want to soak in your Word as I look for your direction for my life. Help me to daily seek you with all my heart. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Do you find yourself in a “hit and miss” relationship with the Lord when it comes to your prayer time?

 

• What prevents you from daily conversations with God?

 

Apply

• Make a list of all the activities that you participate in for one full day.

 

• Draw a line through those things on your list that could be eliminated or rescheduled so you can have face-to-face time with the Lord.

  

Power

• Psalm 119:15-16 (NIV) “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”

 

• Matthew 24:35 (NIV) “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

 

• Psalm 119:105 (NIV) “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

 

 

 

Except For One

“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”

James 4:17 (NIV)

            Not even a broken hand could keep my daughter from playing basketball in middle school. After just a few weeks of wearing a cast, she was cleared by the physician to play ball again with one stipulation: her hand had to be wrapped and cushioned during every game. It was healing perfectly and he didn’t want to take the chance that it might get re-injured.

 The injury did nothing to keep her from scoring points – and a lot of them – almost every game. At one particular contest with a major basketball rival, she had scored 20 points by halftime, even with a broken hand.

 But something strange happened during the third and fourth quarters: the girls on the other team switched from trying to steal the ball from our daughter to grabbing and twisting her hand. Except for one.

 At first my husband and I thought it was just accidental but we quickly realized that the opposing team had one focus: to hurt her hand to the point that she couldn’t continue playing. Except for one.

 We could hardly contain our anger at the look of pain on our daughter’s face as girl after girl tried to twist and pull her hand and she struggled to get away from them and continue to play. Except for one.

 When the game finally ended, our team had won by 10 points. All the girls on the opposing team went through the congratulations line and high fived my daughter’s wrapped hand extra hard as they mumbled “good game.” Except for one.

 As the girls came out of the locker room, our daughter walked over to us, holding her hand against her chest. It was obviously hurting her. But something else happened. The one girl on the team who never tried to grab her hand or hit it extra hard also walked toward us.

 “I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for what just happened,” she told our daughter. “At halftime, our coach told all of us on the team to try to grab your broken hand and hurt it so you would not be able to play the rest of the game.” She continued. “I just couldn’t do it. It was wrong. I just wanted you to know.” My daughter gave her a hug and said “thank you.”  

 Were there were no other girls on that team who also believed that what their coach wanted them to do was wrong? There had to have been more than just one – and there might have been. And yet, only one had the courage to stand up for what was right, even though she knew her coach might punish her for not obeying what he told the team to do.

 I cannot help but apply the details of this ball game to my life. Have there been times when I ignored “the good” spoken of in James 4:17 that I knew I should be doing and instead of being the “except for one,” I joined the crowd? Surely not!  What about the elderly neighbor I knew was longing for company? The money I should have slipped to the single mom at the store but I spent on yet another item of clothing that I didn’t need? The lady at the gas station in tears who needed to know how much Jesus loves her? I hate to tell you but my answer is “yes.”

 What about you? Can you relate? This Scripture quietly but firmly speaks to our hearts. “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” You and I may be the “except one” that the Lord is sending to those around us. And when we ignore His nudging, we sin. Period.

 My encouragement for all of us is to look for ways to do good for those around us. God gives us strength and courage to leave the crowd and be an example of Jesus in every opportunity we have. Never forget that you may be the “except for one” in someone’s life.

 

Father, you are very clear in your word that when I do not do what I know is good in your eyes, I am sinning. Please help me to be bold and to be a positive influence in the lives around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.  

 

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 Reflect

• Can you think of a situation where you knew the positive action – the “good” - you should do but you did not speak up?

Apply

• Look at situations from the last week when you should have acted as the Lord commands. How did you react? Could you have been the “except one” for the Lord?

 

• Journal each situation and the response that the Lord wants you to have. Look for ways you can be the “except one” as you “do good” around you.

 

Power

• James 4:17 (NIV) “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”

 

• Romans 12:21 (NIV) “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

 

• James 1:22 (NIV) “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”              

 

Going Through the Door

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

 

The doctor scheduled a surgery to remove a small fatty tumor on the back of my neck. He said that it was a minor procedure and he could do it in his office – no problem. He explained exactly what he was going to do and what he expected to find.

And yet, because it was on my neck, I was more than a little concerned. Yes, he’s a great doctor and no, he would not have said he could do the procedure in his office if he could not. But I still had considerable apprehension at what was going to take place.

Oh, I prayed about the surgery but my prayers went something like this: "Lord, I am really nervous about the surgery on my neck. What if there is a problem? What if something gets cut that isn't supposed to? What if I can't lie still like the doctor wants me to?" and on and on and on. Can you relate?

And then one day, after a month of approaching the Lord repeatedly with my “what if” sessions, I think He felt He needed to reassure me. I slumped in my chair and prepared to give God another list of possible complications with my upcoming surgery.

But my Bible fell open to the Old Testament and I found myself reading Deuteronomy 31:8. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  

Gently the Lord whispered to my heart “I am not going to leave you at the door of the doctor’s office and say “See you when you are done. I will never leave you – never! I will walk through the door, be there beside you through the surgery, and walk out through that same door with you. Just as I have always done. Always.”

I know. I know. How many hundreds or even thousands of times in the past has the Lord gone before me, making a path, and then stayed right by my side. And yet, here I was, facing the unknown and thinking that just maybe, on THIS journey, Jesus would decide not to go.

So let’s be honest: what “door” are you entering, afraid that the Lord will not go with you? Maybe it’s divorce or financial problems or a prodigal child. Or it could be health issues or broken friendships or a new job in a new town. Perhaps you have lost a loved one and are facing an uncertain future alone.

Whatever it is, rest assured that just as Moses shared with the Israelites that “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you,” He will be with each of us, no matter what we face or what “door” we may be going through. Always.

May I share with you that Jesus did just as He said. He stayed with me and kept me calm and at peace. I talked to Him during the procedure and thanked Him when it was over. And once again, as has happened so many times before, I knew with all my heart that my Father was faithful. May you have that same conviction today.

Father, Thank you for your faithfulness to stay right by my side, no matter what I have faced in the past or will face in the future. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

·         Have you ever been faced with a “door” that you were truly afraid to go through?

·         Did you realize that the Lord was at your side and would never leave you?

Apply

·         Journal some of the “doors” that you have gone through over the past few years.

·         Beside each one, write a sentence of praise for how the Lord stayed with you through each one and never left your side.

Power

• Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

 

• Exodus 33:14 (NIV) “The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

 

• Joshua 1:9 (NIV) "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”