Sharing Life and Christ

Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 1 John 3:13 I have been thinking about this verse since I woke up this morning. I am amazed at how John can say something that is so straight forward and yet has such huge implications beneath the surface. He is telling his flock to get used to it, to warm up to the idea of being hated by the world. It shouldn't blindside us. It shouldn't turn our lives upside down. It is a fact of the Christian life. Not only is it a fact, but it is meant to give us hope! It is meant to strengthen and encourage us! It is meant to put our focus on Jesus Christ and keep it there. Even in the midst of hate, God is proving His enduring love for His people! Take a look: If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:18, 19 Jesus makes it...

I read and studied Jonah over the last couple of days and have a lot of thoughts that I am excited to share. I've read Jonah before, but I had never taken the time until now to really dig and uncover the big picture from the story. There is a lot to the story of Jonah that I glossed over in the past, and I pray that the incite God has given me will be helpful to you as well. Let's start by taking a look at the cast of characters. We've got Jonah, of course, and the Lord, the people on the boat, and the people of Nineveh. First, let's consider the crew of the boat that Jonah hopped on to run away from God (I'm still wondering how he thought he could hide). In the first chapter, it is clear that the people on the boat believed in many different gods. When the storm came up, they all prayed to their deity of choice in hopes that someone would luck out and appease the right god who would calm the storm. When that didn't work, the captain found Jonah sleeping...