I love Jelly Bellies--that's the original gourmet jelly bean with the trademark--with flavors such as blueberry, bubble gum, chocolate pudding, peppermint stick, tangerine-- advertised as "true-to-life mouthwatering flavors" and only "4 calories in every Jelly Belly jelly bean, and zero fat!"
Well, my husband knows I love Jelly Bellies too...and just the other day, he came home with a present for me--you guessed it! Now I am TRYING to trim up a bit and I don't need any Jelly Bellies to tempt me; however, I was very grateful and gobbled them down--a BIG bag--in little more than 24 hours! I went to bed with a tummy groaning from this gourmet treat, and muttered a half-sincere, "Lord, forgive me!"
But that's not the end of the story! I awoke early the next morning, got dressed, put on my walking shoes, and went for my one-mile walk--and here's the end of the story: as I walked, God placed in my heart a devotional for all of us who fall down, get up and start all over again....And have I got a "character" to tell you about it--right from his pulpit place--in the belly of a whale! Walk along with me to the Well--and let's ask HIM how to beat the Jelly Belly blues!!
A Helping Word...or
Two!
Recognize Your Failure!
"...Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm for you; for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you (Jonah 1:12)."
Repent of Your Transgression!
"Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord, his God, out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of sheol cried I, and thou heardest my voice...I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thine holy temple...(Jonah 2:1,2,4)."
Re-commit to Your Assignment!
"But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9)."
Rise Up and Run!
"And the Lord spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land...And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go unto Nineveh...so Jonah arose and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord...(Jonah 2:10; 3:1-3."
And that's how I, Jonah, learned MY lesson of "how to beat the Jelly Belly blues!" I admitted my disobedience, got thrown overboard for it, saw green not blue in the belly of that smelly old fish--but I repented (read it for yourself!), and I re-committed to the assignment God had given me. AND--when I'd done all that, the big fish just whooped me up--and did I run--on to complete the work God had given me to do!
Have YOU failed Him too? There's hope! You can start all over again too. Just follow Jonah's 4-point sermon: Recognize, Repent, Re-commit, Rise Up and Run--and be on your way to serve the Lord!
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)."
"...forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13)."
"Lord, I've gone and done it again. I've blown it--I've failed You once more, and oh, the shame! Forgive me; help me to forgive myself, then rise up in Your Name, set free to complete the task which You've called me to do, In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Your Weekly Assignment: Read Words from the Well poem and let the Lord minister to you. He will, I promise! He is a faithful God and will be faithful to you today!
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Thanks for visiting the Well today! Hope you were refreshed, and you will return! I'll be waiting for you--and so will He! God bless!
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A Helping Word...or
Two!
