Those Who Follow Illusory Vanities, Abandon His Mercy

From: November 3-9, 2009

TOPIC: “Those Who Follow Illusory Vanities, Abandon His Mercy” Jonah 2:8-9 When we walk in God, we have to believe in what He has established. If we become persons who are naïve, dreamers, fanciful, having expectations with the vanity of this world, we will walk away from His will and we will lose. There is much to lose when we abandon the knowledge of God. We can’t let ourselves be deceived by sweet voices. We have to be careful of the easy deception that comes from those who instill vanity. It is best to know with clarity what we have believed and where we are headed. No one should be able to move us after we have known the truth. If we are not naïve and we do not dream with vanities we’ll know where we are headed. Those who live lightly and ignore God have a great problem. We all know what happened to Jonah for hiding from God’s will and seeking the easy way out. Jonah understood and it was evident because of his bad experience that a person who lives lightly no longer sees God and only sees the vanity of this world. God is our provider, our comfort, liberator; He is everything. When we begin to put God in a corner, in a second level, our life becomes a life of vanity and serious consequences. I Kings 12:28 During that time when Jeroboam governed the people were naïve, easily deceived to walk away from the truth they had acknowledged. A person who becomes naïve is a person who is not looking at God and lives in deceit. Jeroboam seduced the town to perform idolatry. If the truth is in us, we should never speak or seek vanity. How can we change the truth for vanity? The fear that the son of Solomon, Rehoboam, would retain the kingdom caused Jeroboam to be tormented instead of relying on God’s word. Just like Jonah, Jeroboam chose the wrong path. I Kings 15:34 16:13 Jeroboam provoked the town to sin. They became naïve because there was not one person who could speak the truth. Everything that is vain attaches us to this world and leads us to Hell. We can read in the Scriptures that Baasha, King of Israel, also led the town to condemnation. Everything that is false doctrine occurs because there is an attachment to what is vain and fleeting. A town that is vain gets ideas from here and there. But Jehovah causes the whole world to shiver. Likewise, these deceiving kings, nowadays there are persons who educate the people with vain things. That is why a town that should honor and love God can become a vain town. Then, the themes that are spoken are not about the power and the greatness of God, but about the vain and sinful issues. That town that had seen God’s powerful hand work was now relying on two masses of gold, in two calves that were prepared by Jeroboam. In occasions, God is overturned by other things that are vain and that impress. Those who deceive have the ability to blame everyone else. What reasons can there be to live in deception when it only leads to Hell? The only thing that can set us free is the truth. That

is why we should always have with us the word that God has given us. Sometimes we even groan because of vain things! Jonah complained about things he shouldn’t be complaining about and tried to escape to satisfy his vanity. Jeremiah 2:5 What is wrong with Jehovah that there are believers that are not capable of living for Him, but rather what they want is to abandon Him and become rebellious? What separates men from God is sin. Sometimes, it is more comfortable to live by serving a golden calf, a dead mass, rather than serving the living God who is three times holy. But, to serve the Lord one must live in holiness. Those who follow illusory vanities will be deceived. In the Lord we should not think about being naïve or fictitious. We work on the ground; we cannot be naïve because we should fear to do the will of God. If we are naïve in our daily life, we are also naïve in our life with God and this cannot be. Those who are naïve and live dreaming with vain fantasies are ignorant and as God’s people we cannot be like this. It is best to live the reality. Those who live dreaming live in fantasies and cannot see the realities. Everything in this terrestrial life is vain and if we trip in this, we will stop doing what God has called us for. What have we been dreaming about, what is it that we are no longer doing? We no longer see a powerful God and seek other things to feed our fantasies and upon passing the years we end up living a dull life instead of being the flame that God chose. Be careful! Jonah learned thru his painful experience in whom he had to put his trust. We depend on what we trust. Our blessing comes from Heaven, not from anyone on this earth. Our joy and happiness is Jehovah. Jonah had to be afflicted in the middle of that ocean because of his lack of fear. That is why he had to see the reality, because he faced great difficulties depending totally on God’s mercy. With his behavior Jonah demonstrated that he wasn’t as fearful to God as he seemed to be. There are moments in which our faith escapes, we stop believing and we see what we shouldn’t be seeing. Sometimes, in our bad circumstances and problems, we walk with doubt. It is easier to look down here on earth than to look at the third Heaven. We rest on what is vain and that is why the power of God is not manifested. Let us not live the vain things, because then God’s mercy would abandon us and we need God’s mercy every day. Every disappointment and confusion occur when we do not know who we have trusted. Like Jonah, when someone walks with their confidence in vanity, one day that person will fall and the affliction will hurt a great deal. We should depend only on our God. Our salvation and help come from Jehovah and no one else. We should not substitute God for vain things. The storm and the fish obey God before human beings. Nature itself knows its Creator is God, and cannot see and choose the vain things like we see it and choose. Pride separates us completely from God. "Those who follow illusory vanities, abandon his mercy." Jonah 2:8 Let us apply this lesson which was learned by Jonah and not be naïve; let us live according to the truth and the good will of God for our lives. Amen.