Mission Outreach Cowboy Church

09/06/2026

09/06/2026

CODY BOAHN’S MESSAGE 6 SEPTEMBER 2026: RIGHTEOUS LABOR

Tomorrow is Labor Day which is a Federal Holiday to honor the working class people. It's held in many nations, but here in America President Cleveland signed an act in 1894 making the first Monday in September a legal Holiday. We should always appreciate the working class because they are the backbone of the world- and even the Kingdom! God put Man in the garden to work it. Jesus Himself was a tradesman, specifically a carpenter. 4 of his disciples were fishermen by trade before their transition into ministry.

Psalm 127:1
"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain."
The Psalmist's writing mentions that laboring without the Lord is useless, painful, and unrewarding. Those tradesmen and watchmen need the Lord's wisdom, guidance, and oversight.

Psalm 128:1-2
1 "Blessed us everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you."

This is the opposite end of the spectrum of what we just read in the previous Psalm, confirming that WITH God, your labor will be fruitful and you'll be blessed.

Paul also writes on this subject in his letter to the church of Colossae in;

Colossians 3:23-24
23 "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."
Remember those WWJD bracelets? Paul is basically asking that here. Whatever you do, do it for God. Do it as Jesus would do. Do all things with Him, through Him, and in His name. Though Jesus came to serve, not to be served, remember that He said "whatever you have done to the least of my brothers, you've done to me". If your work is done in vain, producing thorns and thistles, then whatever that work was, won't hold. If you build a house hastily and angrily, it will not stand. If you are a city watchman who is tired and ill, the city will be invaded. However, in those same positions if you're on the side of God and you have his strength and wisdom, the house will be built strong and the city will remain safe.

When I got my first real job at 16 I was working in a kitchen and my very first shift was during the lunch rush. Talk about being thrown in head-first. I had no idea how to put the burgers together, how long to cook fries, I didn't even know where to stand! When you're in that situation you can easily become flustered or overwhelmed which is understandable. However, when you're getting flustered and overwhelmed you are in a position for a learning opportunity.

Proverbs 12:1
"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid."
Man! I didn't even know the word 'stupid' was in the Bible! It's translated from the Hebrew word "Tipesh" which roughly means "to graze" such as cattle. Have you ever seen a cow or horse that never makes mistakes? No! They even get their head stuck in the hay ring just trying to eat!

Proverbs 12:3
"No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved."
So, even though your head has gotten stuck before, even though you've burnt your share of fries, even though you have come up short, what did you do? Did you learn from your mistakes? Did you make sure to put your head in the hay ring at the proper angle? Did you make sure to keep an eye on the fryer? Jesus is standing right there ready to pull your head back out of that hay ring. He's standing right there with a fresh batch of fries. He's standing there with you, waiting on you to turn to Him and say "Lord, I need your help. I'm sorry I've fallen short. Help me keep it from happening again."

Proverbs 12:11-12
11 "Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lack sense.
12 Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit."

These verses are solidifying what we just read. Through standing firm in Jesus, your work is coming from righteous roots and He blesses you.

John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

He. Is. The Vine. We are the branches. As a vine grows, it allows for more branches to sprout. As the branches grow, they allow for more fruit to produce. The Vine carries the nutrients all the way from the soil, through the roots, through the vine itself, through the branches, and into the fruits so they may be abundant. Abiding in Jesus, you bear those fruits. Without Him, you have none. Without the vine, what is a branch? It's just a dead stick on the forest floor.

James 3:17-18
17"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."

Now we see, not only the roots, but the plant itself is getting the things needed to grow. Not only the roots, but also the fruit have a taste of righteousness. These attributes that are listed in James' letter are obtained through God and passed along through our fruits that we produce in Him.

Let Jesus in your life. Keep Him in everything you do. Dig those roots in deep and produce good fruits in Jesus' name.

Amen!

08/30/2026

PASTOR STEWART’S MESSAGE 30 AUGUST 2026: TENDERIZED FOR A WHILE

Scripture for today: Jonah 3 and 4

Oh, how our minds can change under the right conditions and with the right opportunity. I remember that many years ago, an old Non-Commissioned Officer took his personal time, energies, and insights to help me become all I could be. During a P.T. test, he took a knee right in front of me as I was doing push-ups for him. His stuttering was just awful! I had started feeling it about the time I reached 35 counted push-ups after doing 70 for him. I was in the front leaning rest position, which does not allow for any rest at all. Then he got within a half an inch of my nose and said, “Wells, when the body feels enough pain, the mind will submit.” I didn’t know what he was trying to tell me, but I did think about biting him on the nose and hanging on like some crazy pit bull. I did 98 pushups and got credit for the minimum of 45! He tenderized me for sure! It is hard to forget that guy, and he did teach me a lot. Randy, I do hope you are still enjoying retirement down in Georgia. But unlike Jonah, I didn’t have seaweed wrapped around my head. Just in case you were unaware, tenderization often improves hearing! Shall we now see how Jonah’s tenderization has affected his decision-making paradigm?

Jonah 3:1-3
1 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, a three-day journey in extent.

This time, when the Lord spoke to Jonah and gave him instructions, he moved out in the right direction. Now I will have to tell you I have wondered where Jonah got burped up onto the beach. It is just a thought, but maybe it applies here as well. Have you ever heard someone ask, “Where do I start now?” How many times have you experienced a start over? For whatever reason, you had a redo in your training or in your testing or in your personal life; where did we start over at? For most of us, it was the beginning. Jonah’s trip started in Joppa. What a message that would have been to Jonah! If that were the case, I’m sure Jonah would have wanted to get it right this time. I’m sure with even the disdain Jonah had for the people of Nineveh, he was ready now to move in that direction. Many years ago, a very learned and astute theologian and writer said:
A very small degree of light may convince men that humbling themselves before God, confessing their sins with prayer, and turning from sin, are means of escaping wrath and obtaining mercy. -Matthew Henry-
Once that light shines on sin of any kind, it doesn’t take the owner long to realize the truth in the old saying:
Sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go,
it will keep you longer than you ever intended to stay,
and will cost you more, lots more, than you ever imagined to pay.
Here is a city that is evil to the core. Here comes the man God sent. This man was looking nothing like any of them. He was a Hebrew and may have still been a bit bleached from the fish’s gut. His message was short, and it was very clear.

Jonah 3:4-7
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!”
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

Jonah finally got around to doing what the Lord assigned him to do much earlier, even weeks and maybe months before. Finally, he was here doing what God had tasked him with. When we follow God’s will for us, things happen. When the people heard Jonah preaching, they repented! Even the king repented. They believed Jonah’s message and responded to it. Life shifted under them, and they responded with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes, and the king proclaimed it throughout the population of Nineveh. There were actions that went along with the words. So many times today there is no action, there is no change, and there are no conditions that are met. There are no tears in our prayers, and there is no seeking the Lord wholeheartedly. This wasn’t the case for Nineveh! Jonah’s message from the Lord reached them loud and clear. They understood 40 days, and clearer yet, they understood what it meant to be overthrown!

Jonah 3:10
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.

The city was saved! God’s judgment was stayed. The Lord had relented the wrath to come! What a wonderful relief it is when you realize you have been spared! You would think Jonah would be dancing in the streets, but Jonah’s heart was not into saving Nineveh. He wanted to see it destroyed still, but his heart had improved a bit. This time he was willing to talk with God. In his conversation, we learn a lot about a heart condition that Jonah had.

Jonah 4:1-3
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!”

This is one of those glaring things of the heart. Had Jonah said nothing after chapter 3, and his story ended there, he may have been the rebellious prophet of God who became a hero. But now we see him not only as the rebellious prophet, but a prophet of God who harbored disdain and hatred. Over and over again, in our walk, we, too, discover that our heart needs some dealing with, and our Creator will certainly do that. He deals with us right where we are. He calls us and He teaches us as well. This is exactly what He did to Jonah. He called him to a task, Jonah rebelled and ran. God took him into a storm and changed the lives of those who were around him. But Jonah made it clear he would rather die than do the chore which God had assigned to him. Now that he has finally done as the Lord asked him, Jonah is angry because the city repented and the Lord relented. Again Jonah wants to die. How does the Lord deal with him this time?

Jonah 4:4-5
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.

The Lord asked Jonah one question, “Is it right for you to be angry”? It is a simple question, and it forces a closer look at yourself. It requires one to inspect their heart. It requires a person to be honest with themselves. So what is Jonah’s reaction? He leaves town and builds a shelter to sit and watch what happens to these hideous people. Like a lot of us, Jonah needed more work on his heart.

Jonah 4:6-10
6 And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah 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 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?”

So God made him tender inside the belly of the fish. Then the God of second chances gave him another. He had the fish vomit Jonah up onto dry land. Spared from death, God asked Jonah once again, go to Nineveh. Jonah arose and went, and there, he did as the Lord said; yes, Jonah obeyed, but he still had a recurring heart condition. The city repented, and that made Jonah angry. Yet again, the God of second chances and more taught Jonah he had been more compassionate towards a plant than towards a city of people.
Christ said this about those people of Nineveh:

Matthew 12:41
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

If the people of Nineveh were able to repent and seek God and His righteousness, surely we too can indeed do the same. Nineveh had a reluctant callus hearted man walking the streets. We have the one and only Son of God who has laid salvation at our feet. He has sent the Holy Spirit calling to us each one to repent and turn towards the Savior. Will you be like those of Nineveh and repent? The choice is only yours to make. Believe in the only begotten Son of God and be saved. Be born again!

Blessings to you every one, and may we all look closely at our own hearts, asking for mercy and grace, and the love of God to be present in the lives of His servants;

Amen!!!

08/23/2026

PASTOR STEWART’S MESSAGE 23 AUGUST 2026: A WHALE OF A WAKE UP CALL

Today’s Scripture - Jonah 2

Here we are still in the book of Jonah, and we will be here for a little while. We have already seen that the book of Jonah indeed is a very small book and within it are only four chapters. Last week in chapter one, we noticed that (the word of the Lord came to Jonah). God spoke to him, and we see exactly what happened after that. Remember the Prophet arose; he didn’t say anything; he went in the opposite direction that he should have gone. We even talked about how Jonah didn’t even pray about it. It seems his mind was made up from the very start exactly what he was going to do regardless of what God had tasked him with. Jonah decided to rebel and to run away from God! One author even said, “Jonah must have been a popular man in Israel, because his prediction had been fulfilled that the nation would regain her lost territory from her enemies. Those were the days of peace and prosperity and plenty for Israel.”

2 Kings 14:25
25 He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.

So times were good for Jonah, and he may have been popular and even wealthy. After all, he did have the financial means to purchase a ticket to get him to the other side of the world. Now Jonah was rebelling against God. You see, Jonah had a wrong attitude towards the word of God. Jonah seems to think he could take it or leave it, and he chose to leave it. In a sense, Jonah must have felt he had the right to resign as a prophet and failed to realize God’s call is irrevocable. Does that mean sometimes you may feel like giving up? Let me say, Moses felt like giving up. Elijah felt like it, and so did Jeremiah. But they remained obedient! Being obedient is critical!

1 Samuel 15:22 (NKJV)

22 So Samuel said:

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.

Sometimes we don’t think like this and had much rather sacrifice than obey. I can’t count the times I have heard it said, “Just do it; we can ask for forgiveness later. Hence, this is what Jonah was doing. Disregarding the Lord is not a wise thing nor is it a good thing to do. I do not care who you think you are!, or how important you feel you are.

Jonah 1:4

But the LORD 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.

Now I would like you to notice that God had spoken to Jonah earlier. He told him to go to Nineveh. Notice here in Jonah’s rebellion, God did not have a conversation with him. What God did was to get everyone's attention who was around or near Jonah. This should say something for choosing your friends carefully! Also, the company you keep. The Lord God spun up a storm right in the middle of Jonah's path. I would dare to say every one of you have had that very thing happen at one time or the other in your lifetime. God got the attention of everyone on that yacht!

Jonah 1:5-9 (NKJV)
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 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 the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

This must not have been the everyday run-of-the-mill Mediterranean Sea storm! This was a mad storm, and it was tearing the ship apart! By the time they got the Sleeper awakened, there were a lot of questions asked of him. Did you know Jonah’s name means dove? It is the symbol of peace. He surely had not lived up to his name. Jonah’s father’s name was Ammitai. His name means faithful or truthful. It seems that Jonah had not lived up to any of these names. Jonah had not been completely honest with the sailors about who he was! He wasn’t just someone trying to hide from God, but he was called a prophet of God, and not just a god but (the God of heaven who made the sea and dry land as well!)

It has always amazed me how God can take our mess, our sin, and use them for good! That entire ship Jonah was on had a revival! Every one of them came to the Lord!

Jonah 1:10-16

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 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.

Think about this. Jonah was willing to die rather than go to Nineveh! I know it's my fault all this has come upon everyone, and I know it is God that has set the storm in place, so just throw me over, and it will be all right. You get a calm sea for sailing, and I get not to go to Nineveh! Win- Win for Jonah. God’s plans are bigger than Jonah's, and Jonah needs a little tenderizing before taking on the chore that God has set before him. That tenderization came in the form of a large fish! Remember from last Sunday, we identified the god of Nineveh. It was a fish!

Jonah 1:17
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.
Talking about getting an attitude adjustment, there it is. It only took three days and three nights of rolling around in the gut of a fish to get Jonah back where he should have been to start with. Now he is ready to talk with God after he has been digested a bit. Now seeing this, listen to his prayer. Know that God is so very merciful!
Jonah 2

1 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 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 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.

We are a society that wants it now and wants it our way. That kind of thinking can end up with you smelling like a kettle of sick dying fish. Think about it. Has God been calling you? Has He been tugging at the strings of your heart? Then listen to Him. Follow Him. Allow Him to clean your soul from all trespasses and sin. Turn to Him not away from Him. Believe in the only begotten Son of God and be Saved! As Jesus Himself said, you must be “born again.” Choose the new life. Choose eternal life!
May the Lord bless you each and every one, and may you too discover His mercy and grace,

Amen!!!!

08/16/2026

PASTOR STEWART’S MESSAGE 16 AUGUST 2026: THE CHORES

Scripture for today: Jonah 1:1-2

Do you remember when you were a child? How about all those chores that your parents, and sometimes even your grandparents, would have you do? My folks were known to assign individual tasks, better known then as chores. They expected you to complete them as assigned! My granddad was especially bad for that. Sometimes he would even stand there and watch!
Now, to start with, individual chores were not fair, no sir, not at all! I also know you may have had the special sibling; yes, you know exactly the one I’m referring to. They would HIDE until all the hard chores were given out, then look who shows up. That one would more than likely grow up to be some kind of time management expert or even a logistician. Either way, someone was going to get over and seal the deal on the easy chores. We all know chores are not equal; therefore, sometimes you ask for help. (Are you kidding!?) What child on this big blue marble would volunteer to do their brother or sister's chores? There is no slacking, no getting away with half-doing the job. Some of you had that brother or sister! If one of them showed up and asked to help, everyone knew and understood you could never say yes. For as sure as you did, you knew there would be a scalping. It was like blood in the water around a school of sharks; that stash of bubble gum, gone! And the hidden bag of hard candy and jawbreakers, also gone. Even the pork chop you saw Mom preparing for supper could be lost in the fray of asking siblings for help to do chores. I said all that to say this: when I was a kid, you did those chores, or you could get eaten alive in more ways than one. That is exactly where we are going today: the chores God calls you for!
We all have heard of Jonah. In him we have an excellent example of God assigning a chore! Look how the Book starts: with a major chore!

Jonah 1:1-2
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.

So we see that God tapped Jonah for the chore of going to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was not a good place, and their sin was great. It was at the time in the center of the Assyrian Empire. They were a ruthless people and even today can be seen by many as among the forerunners of terrorism we know today. That in itself would today give many missionaries cause to pause. This is something you should be sure about before jumping in headfirst. After all, the Assyrians were noted for hanging the hides of those they didn’t like on the city walls for all to see. Depending on the route Jonah would take to Nineveh, the journey would take one or two months. Now I would like you to think of something. When the Lord tasked Gideon with the chore of breaking the oppressive Midianites grip over Israel. Gideon wanted to be sure he was doing the will of God. He asked not once but twice!

Judges 6:36-40
36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said—37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God,“Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

Gideon had a heart looking to follow the Lord. It was a heart trusting in the things of God. Jonah appears to have had a heart seeking more of what Jonah wanted than following the will and doing the task the Lord God had put before him. That sounds terribly bad and accusatory, doesn’t it? So look closer.
Israel had regained its territory that had once been lost because of their rebellion against God. The Assyrian military power was starting to fade, and they were what God used to judge Israel. Maybe it was because Jonah didn’t care for those whose hand levied God’s punishment. Whatever the reason, Jonah did not want the chore or task given to him. So what does he do? The same thing many of us have done. We run hard and fast in the other direction! That is any direction other than where we know we are called to go.

Jonah 1:3
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.

Jonah didn’t ask the Lord anything. He heard the assignment loud and clear. He knew what the chore was, and he was asking nothing else other than getting out of the way. Did you ever think about where Joppa is and where Tarshish is? Tarshish is on the far western end of the Mediterranean Sea, while Joppa sits at the far eastern end in Northern Israel. The distance between the two is 2600 miles! No questions did Jonah ask, no statements or anything; his mind was already made up. He just packed his bag and thought he could outrun God! When I was a very young driver, my dad told me one time, “You may be able to outrun the cop, but that radio you will never outrun! Now think of Jonah, thinking he’s going to run away from God! The radio may be fast, but it's nothing to compare to the speed and certainty of God! Oh, for the things we do to keep from doing as the Lord asks us. BUT GOD! Yes, but God has a way of getting our attention!

Jonah 1:4-5
4 But the Lord 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 the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.

Jonah was living life large, taking that expensive cruise to Tarshish that lay on the far end of the world. Grandma used to have a saying that many of us have heard and lived through. “The chickens have come home to roost”. Jonah didn’t know it yet, but the chickens had come home to roost!
Jonah had come out of the hills area of Galilee in Northern Israel. It had been because of Israel's rejection of God that His wrath and judgment were brought upon them. Now, having spared Israel once again, God the Father is asking the same of Jonah. Now turn from the hardened and cold heart. Learn to seek God in His glory and to praise Him without bitterness and hate for those who brought God’s own divine judgement to you. Pray for your enemy that they too may repent and find forgiveness. That is a tall order even for us today. How many times have you prayed for your enemies? How many times have you prayed for those who use you and hurt you? At the very best, we today find that incredibly difficult! But that is indeed commanded of us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:43-48
43 “You have heard that it was said, ' You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

When we read this, one of the first things that cross the mind of a lot of people is: “I have to kiss a frog!” What an awful chore to have to do! Folks, the frog changes, smelling like the insides of a fish; well, I’m not sure that will ever go away, but possibly over time. However, eternity is fixed, and it is forever!
May we all learn to forgive, and pray for those who would do us wrong. May we follow our Lord Jesus Christ and lean on Him for our strength. May we allow Him to cleanse our hearts, and as He has forgiven us, may we likewise forgive those who trespass against us.
Believe in the only begotten Son of God. Know in your heart the truth that Jesus Christ was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead on the third day. Repent! Believe completely in Him and be born again!

Blessings to you, each and every one, and always remember to stay up to date on the chores, regardless of what they are: “It's better to have kissed a frog than to be known for smelling like the inside of a fish!”

Amen!!!