Jonah 1:13
Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
Too often, we waste time trying to prove we are right when we can calm the boisterous winds of disobedience by obeying God. This is what happened to the men on the ship with Jonah. Jonah ran from God because he didn't want to go to Nineveh. Because Jonah would not go, God sent a great wind to trouble the seas to bring Jonah back to where he needed to go. The men on the ship found out that Jonah was the problem. When they asked Jonah what they should do, he told them that God would calm the winds and the sea if they threw him overboard. However, these men wanted to prove that they knew more than Jonah and God, so they rowed hard to bring the ship to land but failed. These men found out that it didn't matter how hard they rowed against God; the only thing that would turn calm the winds was to listen to the man of God and throw him overboard. It was at the moment that they threw Jonah overboard that the winds immediately ceased and the sea became calm.
Sadly, too many people try to prove God wrong when they should just obey Him and enjoy the blessings of doing right. Preachers can try to build a church their way and fail, or they can just do what they know God has blessed before and see their church grow. Christians could see their lives blessed if they just obeyed God instead of rowing against Him.
For instance, you can try to prove that you can have blessed finances without tithing, but the more you row against God, the more your finances will be a mess. You can try to prove that you can live a blessed life by not being faithful to church, but the more you row against God, the more you will find your life a mess. You cannot row against what God tells you to do and think everything will turn out right. The only way you will see the boisterous winds of life become calm is to stop fighting God and do what He tells you to do.
My friend, are you rowing against the call of God on your life? You can run from God, and even do good things for Him as you run from Him, but if you are not obeying His call on your life, you are living a life of disobedience and rowing against Him. You cannot row against God and expect your life to make a good influence for Him.
Are you rowing against the call to go soul winning? Many have tried different ways to reach the lost, but God has made it clear that the call to go soul winning is the only way we will reach the lost. You can row against God and try community involvement to reach the lost, but you will find your community involvement only makes you a worldly believer. You can row against God and think that involving yourself in politics is the way for your church to reach more people for Christ, but you will find your church will die as you avoid the call to go soul winning.
Backslider, are you rowing against God? Do you think you can prove God wrong and live a backslidden life without suffering the consequences of sin? Do you think that you are different from the prodigal son? You can row against God and try to prove Him wrong, but those who row against Him have always found that they never win and that He is always right. The best answer to calming the boisterous winds of life is to do what God tells you to do and how to do it.
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