Tag Archives: warning

The fruit of pride is heavy and abundant and bitter.

And pride itself is sneaky and deceptive and often well camouflaged.

I know.

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. —1 Peter 5:6.

Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see we beseech thee, we are all thy people. —Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. —It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

Affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

Prov. 16:5. Isa. 64:8,9. -Jer. 31:18,19. -Lam. 3:27. Job 5:6,7.

Daily Light on the Daily Path | September 27, Morning

Egotism, self-promotion, pride — repent of it lest it consume you and your potential and your dreams!

Reading:

Jonah 1

Who am I willing to impale on the spear of my own prejudice?

Which divine command am I willing to ignore?

How could Jonah square up his disobedience with his profession of fearing God?

Next, something I wrote ten years ago or so:

God had a mission for Jonah. In God’s heart, this was a wonderful mission, a mission warning of judgment but offering mercy in exchange for repentance. In Jonah’s heart, this was a horrible mission. Sure, the judgment part sounded great to him, but knowing God’s heart, he just knew those heathen enemies of his people would repent and receive mercy. So Jonah hit upon the perfect solution (he thought): He would not relay the message to the people of Nineveh, which meant they wouldn’t have a chance to repent, which meant God would destroy them.

You know the account; that’s what he did. “But Jonah rose up to flee…from the presence of the LORD” (Jonah 1:3). “Now there’s a silly project,” you may think, “especially for someone who knows God’s heart and greatness.” Not only did Jonah reject the mission and the Sender, he also tried to get away from God completely. Surely he knew Psalm 139:7 — “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” Maybe he honestly thought he could evade God. Whatever he may have thought, we can learn that disobedience, as foolish as that is, leads to further foolishness and futility.

I wonder how often I have pulled a Jonah. That is, I know from God’s Word and His witness in my heart that I ought to do a certain something. The matter may be as “simple” as correcting my thoughts about someone else; the issue may be bitterness, anger, lust, mistrust, envy, contempt, rebellion, or mockery. The divine order is no less clear to me now than it was to Jonah way back then. But I have other preferences, so I hatch other plans. In other words, “But Mark….”

Read the rest here: Jonah Pays and Prays.