TUESDAY, August 12th, 2008

Hey Everyone! Have you been watching the Olympics? Tonight will be really cool! Michael Phelps will probably break the record for the most gold medals ever won by any Olympian!! That is pretty cool! Make sure you watch that tonight!! (After you do your devotions)

A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Michael: You are exactly right! Satan is more than happy to help us run away from God!
Hey Rachel: I am sure you meant to type Jonah, so I wont give you a hard time for typing Jonas :)
Bethany: I am glad you are faithful on here! Running from God is NOT the answer! Those are some Wise Words!
Kacey: You are right as well... things don't happen by chance, everything is sovereignly controlled by God.
Tricia: Thank you! Thanks for being so thorough in your description of the passage! You showed me some things that I did not think of! Good Work!
Amanda: I am glad that you are on here! Be Faithful! Every Christian, Especially New Christians, must spend time with God every day!
Mallory: Thanks for the video... BUT WHERE ARE YOUR DEVOS??
Ryan: Yes! We will probably change our mind whenever the consequences of our sin come our way, so we might as well do what is right in the first place!
Jonathan Massey: Great Job! What happened to "before 11:00am" ?? :) Call me today! We need to hang out sometime this week!
Josh LaPerriere, Leff LePerriere, Cary Grimmett, Tyler King, Jessica Massey, Phillip Carpenter, Jill Lockhart, Josh Sandefur, Alex Beals, David Deller, Lucy, Jessica B., Gabi, ?????? WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?????? DO YOUR DEVOTIONS!!!! . com

Jonah 1:11-17

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.
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.

What a great story. I think this story shows us better than any other story how the consequences of our sin will influence so many lives around us. Have you ever heard the famous saying: "No man lives unto himself and no man dies unto himself"? That means that everything we do will effect the lives of other people around us. Here is an example...

If I were to fall into deep sin and it resulted in me not being the youth pastor of Suncoast Youth Group anymore, then My sin would effect the lives of many of you. One bad decision on my part has the potential to destroy many other lives spiritually.

In the same way, Jonah sinned against God and whenever the sea began to rage, Jonah put all of those mariners lives at risk.

If you live in sin, you could be putting the spiritual lives of those around you at risk... I know of some people right now in our youth group that are influencing each other, and the decisions that you are each making could be potentially destroying the spiritual life of many around you.

Live for God! For His Glory, but also don't forget that you should live for God to be an example for those around you! A Man sharpeneth the countenance of His friend, and it could just as well be said that a man dulleth the countenance of His friend, Don't let your poor decisions hurt the lives of the people around you!!!!!

I think it is wonderful how we see the sea instantly calm whenever Jonah is thrown into the sea! I remember watching the Jonah Veggie Tales movie and I thought the funniest part was whenever they threw Jonah into the water, because the waves instantly were so calm there wasnt even a ripple. And you see Jonah sitting there in the water with a flotation device, just a few yards from the boat, with NO WAVES AT ALL...

That is such a great picture of the power of God... God was not willing to harm the men on the boat, but Had Jonah not done what was right, by jumping out of the boat, I believe that the lives of those men could have been lost... instead Jonah jumped out of the boat, and the men "feared God" and offered a sacrifice to those men.

God makes all things work together for Good! I believe that pne day we may see those men in Heaven!

I must live for God so that I do not draw other people away from God!