Read A Lesson from Jonah, by Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop at One Place.






 1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.            

4 The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. 5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. 6 So the captain  approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping ? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish."            

7 Each man said to his mate, "Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us." So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what  people are you?"             

9 He said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land." 10 Then the men became extremely  frightened and they said to him, "How could you do this ?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, "What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?" - for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. 12 He said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you."            

13 However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. 14 Then they called on the LORD and said, "We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man's life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O LORD, have done as You have pleased." 15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. 17 And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.   

Jonah 1

Jonah's response to the command of God is very typical of all of ours, isn't it?  We run, we hide, but all we really manage to do is jump from the frying pan into the fire.  There is much to be learned from the story of Jonah.  You may continue the story here.  What lengths Jonah goes to in order to evade God's directive!  My goodness, but we weave a complicated and unhappy web when we run from God's bidding!  Is there a lesson for us in the story of Jonah?

Stephen Arterburn speaks of this today at One Place:

"Look back at the choices you’ve made to try to do things your way. Think about the nights you’ve laid awake with a knot in your stomach, full of fear and anxiety about things that most likely weren’t going to happen anyway. Think about the times you’ve chosen to numb yourself with food, alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping, or something else that wasn’t really the answer you were looking for or needed. When you “sobered up” you felt a little more empty than the day before.
 
"What Jonah needed to do; what you and I need to do, is to humble yourself and surrender our wills to God. It’s a daily task that will grow a little easier the more you do it. Start today. Don’t go through what Jonah went through. Learn from him."

Please read Come Away, by Alistair Begg, Truth for Life Daily, at One Place.







"I hear the voice of my Beloved! He speaks to me! Fair weather is smiling upon the face of the earth, and He does not want me to be spiritually asleep while nature is all around me awaking from her winter's rest. He bids me "Arise," as well He might, for I have been lying long enough among the weeds of worldliness. He is risen, and I am risen in Him; so why should I still cleave to the dust? From lower loves, desires, pursuits, and aspirations, I want to rise to Him."

Read Focus on God's Plan, by DR Tony Evans at One Place.






"To overcome temptation, the final element we must focus on is God’s plan. James 1:18 refers to believers as the “first fruits” among God’s creatures. First fruits are things of utmost value. In the Old Testament, the first fruits refers to the tithe to bring to the Lord. The first ten percent of what was accumulated went to Him. Giving the first fruits to God shows that He is the priority because He receives the best portion. Here, God says in His Word that we are the first fruits of His creation. Nothing God ever made is more important to Him than His saints, His people."

18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.
James 1:18

Let's look at DR Evan's quote again: 
"Nothing God ever made is more important to Him than His saints, His people."
Aye, DR Evans, Aye!  Hallowed IS His Name!

Read Focus on God's Word, by DR Tony Evans, at One Place.






"In addition to focusing on God’s character, we must also focus on God’s Word in order to resist temptation.  Sometimes we don’t understand the importance of the Word and the fact that it is alive and active...  Many of us hold God’s Word in high esteem, but it has no power in our lives. The Bible wasn’t meant to decorate your coffee table or be held under your arm at church. The Word of God was written because of what it can do in our lives...  The Word saved us, and it can also sanctify us. God’s Word works in the spiritual realm."

In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.   
James 1:18

Read Choosing Your Life Verse, by Theresa Ceniccola, at Bible Study Tools.







This is a novel idea.  I love making flow charts and using lots and lots of color!  Now, choosing a life verse is no problem!  You have seen mine posted around One Saint several times:

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  2 He maketh me to lie down  in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth  my soul: he leadeth  me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.             

4 Yea, though I walk  through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear  no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort  me. 5 Thou preparest  a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow  me all the days of my life: and I will dwell  in the house of the LORD for ever.    

Psalm 23

Theresa writes:

Selecting Your Life Verse

"Have you ever been asked what your “life verse” is? You know, the scripture quote that seems to speak to you directly – the one that holds a personal meaning for you. When I first heard of this concept, I was immediately overwhelmed. With more than 31,000 verses to choose from, how could I possibly select just one? How could one verse define my entire life? Even if it seemed to fit now, would it still encourage and strengthen me in 10 years?

"That reaction is my typical perfectionist response to any sort of challenge or assignment. I had to remind myself that THIS IS NOT A TEST! That God wasn’t waiting for me to choose the “wrong” verse and then condemn me for failing a quiz. And that there was no rule preventing me from picking a new verse any time I needed one! (After all, there’s a reason there are more than 788,000 words in the Bible – we need to read them at different times in our lives.) With those comforting thoughts in mind, I set off to find my life verse."

How to Create a Spiritual Vision Board

1.  Select a Verse
2.  Gather Your Supplies
3.  Set the Tone with Praise
4.  Create - Start Where You Feel Most Comfortable
5.  Hang It Up and Reflect Upon Your Creation 

I found this image online today.  It is made of 1000 images of Jesus Christ.  It is in the Public Domain.  I am hoping you will be able to save this and blow it up in order to see the method.  I thought this astounding, so posted it here.  It is taken from the "oldest known icon of Christ Pantocrator, encaustic on panel (Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai)."

This is the original icon, Christ Pantocrator, found at wikipedia.com.

Remember, you can listen to the Music of Heaven here at One Saint.  Today is a perfect day to permeate your soul with all things good that come from God.  Scroll down to Break the Curse, Restore the Soul, just the ticket to dispel the residue of recent difficult events.




"The most important thing to remember about this project is that the downloads on this page are free and you are not obliged to send anyone money for this music. This project is here to give people a chance to change the direction the United States of America is heading. If you do not live in the United States of America, you may find that this music could help the direction that the government in your country is taking."

Read more about The Music of Heaven here.  Take delight and heal with this beautiful resource for all of God's children.

Read Sin Is Insanity: A Pastoral Word on the Boston Marathon Bombings, written by David Fairchild, at crosswalk.com.




Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.    (Matthew 5:4)

PRAY IN HOPE
"The most powerful weapon at our disposal against evil is the hope-filled prayer of God’s people."

EVIL IS REBELLION
"Make no mistake, we are at war: an insane rebellion against our Creator God is the root cause of this murderous action."

GOD SWALLOWS THE CURSE
"Though the whole human race participates in this defiance, God is unshakably committed to extending his healing grace as far as this deadly curse is found."

THE WORLD WILL NOT ALWAYS BE THIS WAY
"Yes, evil is real and this act reminds us, once again, that we need the hero who is able and willing... Jesus Christ the righteous..."

GRIEVE WITH HOPE
"Turn in prayer to the captain of our faith who settles hearts and deploys the power of his gospel to the places of greatest need. Saints, he hears your prayers and delights in answering them in heartbreaking moments like this."