Have You Ever Considered?

Now some might call me grandiose, with the topic of this article, but that's okay. I think believing the Bible is grand. Have you ever considered, as a servant of YHWH, since our obedience is blessed; that our disobedience could cause a serious problem with a ripple effect? Most of us know we do reap what we sow, and if blessings can be 100 fold, then every mistake has potential consequences, so I'm sure we would respond affirmatively. "Yes, we can cause a problem and a ripple or two.

I'm thinking along the lines of Jonah. As we scream/preach repentance to abortion, gay marriage, and all that is "the other party politics" what about simply not doing what YHWH has told us to do? Or worse, doing the opposite, because it seems right or even if it doesn't, we don't want to do what we're told, or we'll obey right after we do what we want, or maybe we justify what we want and call it His Will.

A situation comes to mind every time I hear of severe weather in a particular place. I knew a young man who was going to be a foreign missionary, so he attended Bible college under some false pretenses to get a better price on his tuition. Of course, that move, without repentance, headed the opposite direction of YHWH. With the foundation of dishonesty for financial gain, the next move was even farther from what he had said was his call. The mega-church made an offer, he apparently couldn't refuse. The sad thing here, is he should have known better, but his mother helped him perpetrate this . . . Her life has not gone well since all of this and his has basically going nowhere, so when I hear about inclement weather in that city, I can't help but think about Jonah.

It's easy to see someone else in that scenario, isn't it? I found myself looking in the mirror, pondering the same possibility. Last year, I did something I knew to not do. I knew it was going to go badly, although I had no idea how badly. Two broken arms, some dead livestock, and a drought later, not to mention irreparably damaged relationships, and overwhelming shame; I've seen myself in the four short chapters of Jonah. Now we know, to stop the storm, Jonah was thrown overboard, then to keep him from drowning a big fish swallowed him, then he was vomited up three days later . . . I wasn't sitting in big fish vomit when it dawned on me, but drowning in my own tears did seem like a real possibility.

When I realized the gravity of what I had done, I was heartbroken. Now this isn't to say, YHWH can't get things done without me, but we are servants and when we do what we're not supposed to do, either something doesn't get done or someone else has to do it, or we do it later, after the circumstances that protect us from completely drowning in our mess, spits us out. I'm not suggesting I'm so important that my disobedience caused the entire drought, but rather to suggest that there may be several of us choosing disobedience, because preaching repentance isn't popular. It's so much easier to scream judgment about the hot button topics or "serve up chicken soup." To compare Jonah to current times. Who wouldn't rather go on a cruise than share bad news with an unfriendly crowd?

Whether it's family, or saving a little money, or just a small concession here or there . . . If it's wrong and we are HIS servants, then there are repercussions with the potential for a ripple effect, or an earth shattering wake-up call. Without a doubt, this is a time for call to repentance.