[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27

[preacherdp1961 at gmail.com]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

If I had a dollar for every time I didn't know what was going on, I'd be
like, why am I always getting all this money?

___

DAILY DEVOTION

Ten Reasons to Go to Church, Even When You Don't Feel Like It
Day 7


"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of
some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching."
(Hebrews 10:25)

Last week we looked at:
Reason #1: To Hear the Preaching of the Word.
Reason #2: To Participate in Corporate Worship
Reason # 3. Because Iron Sharpens Iron
Reason #4. To Exercise Your Gift
Reason #5. To Encourage Your Pastor
Yesterday, we looked at Reason #6. To Find Godly Mentors
Today, we are going to look at Reason #7. To Teach Your Kids to Love the
Church

7. To Teach Your Kids to Love the Church

For many years as a youth pastor, many times parents would drop off their
kids asking us to "fix them." Often the parents grew up in church but walked
away after they grew up. Most never really had a relationship with Jesus.
However, when their own kids were at risk, it was to the church they often
returned. But they usually didn't come themselves. Rather, they dropped
their kids off in hopes the "good" would rub off on them.

If you want to teach your kids to love God, they need to see that you love
God. And if you want them to learn to love God's people, they have to
observe you loving God's people. Luke 6:40 says the student will become like
his teacher. Notice Jesus didn't say the student will become as the teacher
teaches him to be, rather he will be like his teacher. In her new book
Caught Not Taught author Julie Rupp says, "Our children will learn more
about faith from watching us live out our own faith journey. than from us
telling them about God."

___

DAILY BIBLE READING

Jonah 1-4 New King James Version
Jonah's Disobedience
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2
"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their
wickedness has come up before Me." 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish
from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going
to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to
Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

The Storm at Sea
4 But the Lord [a]sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty
tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.

5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and
threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten [b]the load.
But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down,
and was fast asleep.

6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper?
Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may
not perish."

7 And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know
for whose cause this trouble has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the
lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, "Please tell us! For whose cause
is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come
from? What is your country? And of what people are you?"

9 So he said to them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear [c]the Lord, the God of
heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."

Jonah Thrown into the Sea
10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "Why have you done
this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because
he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that
the sea may be calm for us?"-for the sea was growing more tempestuous.

12 And he said to them, "Pick me up and [d]throw me into the sea; then the
sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because
of me."

13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not,
for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore
they cried out to the Lord and said, "We pray, O Lord, please do not let us
perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for
You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You." 15 So they picked up Jonah and
threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men
feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took
vows.

Jonah's Prayer and Deliverance
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in
the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah's Prayer and God's Answer
2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly. 2 And he
said:

"I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,
And He answered me.

"Out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
And You heard my voice.
3 For You cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the floods surrounded me;
All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.
4 Then I said, 'I have been cast out of Your sight;
Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.'
5 The waters surrounded me, even to my soul;
The deep closed around me;
Weeds were wrapped around my head.
6 I went down to the [e]moorings of the mountains;
The earth with its bars closed behind me forever;
Yet You have brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord, my God.

7 "When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the Lord;
And my prayer went up to You,
Into Your holy temple.

8 "Those who regard worthless idols
Forsake their own [f]Mercy.
9 But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving;
I will pay what I have vowed.
Salvation is of the Lord."

10 So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah Preaches at Nineveh
3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 "Arise,
go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell
you." 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the
Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, [g]a three-day journey in
extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he
cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

The People of Nineveh Believe
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the
king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be
proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and
his [h]nobles, saying,

Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them
eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and
cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the
violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent,
and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God
relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He
did not do it.

Jonah's Anger and God's Kindness
4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed
to the Lord, and said, "Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still
in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You
are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in
lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. 3 Therefore now, O Lord,
please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!"

4 Then the Lord said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"

5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There
he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see
what would become of the city. 6 And the Lord God prepared a [i]plant and
made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver
him from his misery. So Jonah [j]was very grateful for the plant. 7 But as
morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant
that it withered. 8 And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a
vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he grew faint.
Then he wished death for himself, and said, "It is better for me to die than
to live."

9 Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?"

And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!"

10 But the Lord said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not
labored, nor made it grow, which [k]came up in a night and perished in a
night. 11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more
than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between
their right hand and their left-and much livestock?"

Footnotes
Jonah 1:4 Lit. hurled
Jonah 1:5 Lit. from upon them
Jonah 1:9 Heb. YHWH
Jonah 1:12 Lit. hurl
Jonah 2:6 foundations or bases
Jonah 2:8 Or Lovingkindness
Jonah 3:3 Exact meaning unknown
Jonah 3:7 Lit. great ones
Jonah 4:6 Heb. kikayon, exact identity unknown
Jonah 4:6 Lit. rejoiced with great joy
Jonah 4:10 Lit. was a son of a night