Reading your Bible for today March 1

March 1: Jonah 2:1-2

KJV Key Verse: Jonah 2:2
2 And said , I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

Devotion:
We are all “Jonahs” in some way or another. We are all running away from something in our lives, finding excuses not to do things, finding excuses to go out and do things. How many times have you told yourself that something was not as bad as others had said just so that you could go out and try it? How many times have you bent the rules so that you would be “allowed” to go out and have fun? How many times have you bent the rules so that you would not have to do something? And how many of those times were you caught out?

Do you know how many of those times someone was watching you? Do you know how many times someone saw you when you broke the rules? Do you know how many of those times you upset someone because you did not do what was right? Every single time!

Jonah had it in his mind that he would be able to sidestep the Lord and run off to do something else. But God was watching Him every step of the way and He was about to make Jonah's life a bit of a misery! He wanted Jonah to stop and think about what was happening. He wanted Jonah to stop and listen! So God prepared the great fish and He made sure Jonah stayed alive whilst inside the fish to make him stop and listen. When God wants you to do something for Him, ignoring Him it is not the right thing to do!

In our lives, God gives us the choice, freedom of choice, to find our own way to Him. He does not want to entrap anyone. He does not want us to be trapped within some strange cult – He wants us to find out the truth and believe in that truth. He wants each of us to make our own way back to Him. When we have found our way back to Him, and have given our lives back to Him, then He has every right to stop us when we stray from His will in our lives. For many of us, that may just be to spend time with other Christians, helping us and them to grow in strength.

Points to Ponder:
How many times a week do you bend the rules?

What happened when you went against God’s will?