Thursday, February 4, 2016
Jonah 1:16 Then the men [sailors] feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.
THE MIRACLE OF A NEW HEART
Jonah was kept alive in the belly of a fish and lived to write about it! It's a matter of historical record. We know it happened because the Bible says it happened. Our verse above, however, speaks of an even greater miracle.
In fear for their lives because of the storm, the sailors prayed to their many gods. They did not know that the LORD is the only true God, and that only in Him is salvation. Those sailors, in danger of being lost at sea, were already lost in their sins.
But when Jonah spoke to them of the LORD, something happened. The Spirit grabbed hold of their hearts. So much so that after they reluctantly tossed Jonah overboard, they began to worship the LORD and make sacrifices to Him. They even made vows to Him, promising, so it seems, to be faithful to Him, and to Him alone.
It's been said that the greatest distance in the universe is the 12 inches or so from the ears to the heart. In other words, when the Spirit works saving faith in the heart of a sinful, totally corrupt human being, it's a much greater miracle of God then even being kept alive in the belly of a fish.
Every believer in Jesus Christ is a miracle of God. Once dead in sins, we are now alive in Christ. Salvation is all God's doing from beginning to end. God planned our salvation from eternity. God sent His Son to accomplish our salvation by His perfect life and substitutionary death. God worked saving faith in our hearts by the power of the Spirit working through the Gospel. God will finish what He started by keeping us in faith by His Word until we safely reach the shores of heaven.
In the meantime, let's remember what God can do through the Gospel we share with others. We don't need to give a long, detailed run-down of all the doctrines of the Bible right away. We share the simple truths of sin and grace. We talk about Jesus and how He won salvation for all by shedding His blood on the cross. We speak the wonderful message of the Gospel, and watch God work His wonders.
