Jonah ch 1
I watched both shows.
Alernate Show Turning Point:
Kid Rock stripped it down—no dancers, no gimmicks. Just a man who’s clearly been through some stuff. When he cracked on “until you can’t” I felt it in my ribs. Not because I love him. Because I’ve heard that crack in my own voice at three a.m.
The other artists after him—voices like warm bread, no Auto-Tune, no fog machines—sang like they were praying with their eyes open. Budget low, but soul high.
Bad Bunny:
He didn’t preach. Didn’t curse.
He brought the island home.
Tití Me Preguntó – aunties everywhere nodded.
Yo Perreo Sola – every girl who’s ever said “I dance alone” raised a fist.
Voy a Llevarte Pa’ PR – Celebration of Puerto Rican pride
Die With a Smile – Gaga and him swaying like old friends at a wedding.
Baile Inolvidable – “I thought I’d grow old with you…”
Yeah. That one hurt.
Two shows.
One sold redemption.
The other sold roots.
Both reminded me:
You don’t have to like the messenger
to hear the message.
And maybe—
just maybe—
the same God who let Kid Rock crack
let Bad Bunny rhyme—
got His own message through anyway.
One: redemption.
One: culture.
Both straight from the same mouth.
Both straight from the same Source.
I wanna give props to both messages.
I’ll keep Bad Bunny at arm’s length. His direct disrespect of the things of God does that.
But I won’t keep quiet—
about how loud God can speak
through the mouths of the broken.
Imperfect people are used by God in mysterious ways.
Because Grace? Grace has got better taste in rhythm than any of us.
When we stop demanding people look like us—
talk like us—
pray like us—
and start noticing how God keeps slipping His voice into the cracks of broken people—
that’s when the walls fall.
Not because they repent on stage.
But because we stop needing them to.
We just start listening.
And listening?
That’s the first prayer
nobody has to say out loud.
K. Howard
Example of Testing of Faith
Job is a prime example of testing of one’s faith in God that produces a faith that can be trusted.
At the beginning of Job’s story we trust a faith full of possessions, both material, like his family, his home, his assets and his intangibles, like a good reputation, respect amongst his peers and loved by his family and friends. We think oh, Job is a man of faith because of what he possesses, even if we don’t say these words aloud or in our head, it’s fair to say that might be the conclusion that most of us come to peeking into his life.
When God Chooses You to Be the Example
How about when we read the conversation between God and Satan?
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.””
Job 1:6-11 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/job.1.6-11.ESV
If you continue in the story of Job you will find that the only thing Satan had access to is Job’s possessions, God always had access to Job’s life. Which makes me think about how many times I’ve held onto possessions that were actually holding onto me. The temporal things of this world both what we can see and touch, as well as, carry in stature will not get us into our eternal home with God, only possessing a relationship with God can do that.
Imagine living so purely focused on a relationship with God that He chooses you to be tested at the level Job was tested?
Job’s Response During the Test
When Job is asked after he loses everything will he curse God now? Here’s Job’s response:
“Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”
Job 2:9-10 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/job.2.9-10.ESV
And when one after another, so called friends, the same friends who enjoyed his previous possessions, probably broke bread with him, enjoyed his position but when he was being tested, they got testy.
“As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.”
Job 27:2-6 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/job.27.2-6.ESV
What’s Your Mindset During the Testing of Your Faith?
This mindset is so significant because it reminds us that the temporary life here, is a moment to endure, compared to an eternity where all of these tests, trials and temptations go away. The life that was originally planned for us is reinstated because Jesus made a way for us to come home to live with Him forever.
So now we can see why James says this about tests and trials:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
James 1:2-5 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/jas.1.2-5.ESV
How Do We Keep an Eternal Mindset?
Here are a few verses to memorize and apply to your way of thinking to get you started:
What you prioritize matters:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:33-34 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.6.33-34.ESV
What you rehearse in your mind matters:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/php.4.8-9.ESV
The enemy roars LIKE a lion but is not a lion:
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 5:8-11 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/1pe.5.8-11.ESV
Conclusion
Thank YOU LORD for the testimony that comes after the test!
What positive emotion do you feel most often?
Joy is the source of all my strength and endurance through the difficulties that life throws at me.
I cannot tell you how many countless times that joy has rescued me from various states of mind. The battlefield in my head fights against depression, regret and condemnation. The joy in my heart tells depression, regret and condemnation to sit down and shut up, because this is temporary.
Joy is a glimpse of eternity. It reminds us that one day, after Jesus returns, there will be no more tears, no more heartache, no more depression, no more regret and no more condemnation.
Maybe that’s why God tells us to be heavenly minded while we’re earthly present? Maybe, if we could just wrap our heads around it, the day after Jesus’s return we clock into eternity and out of the limitations of the clock?
God You are so good. This world has nothing for me. When time passes away and eternity is ever present, these problems we toil over will seem so small. Lord, help me make them small and You BIG, right now. in Jesus name amen!
“Jesus knew they were dying to ask him what he meant, so he said, ‘Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, “In a day or so you’re not going to see me, but then in another day or so you will see me”? Then fix this firmly in your minds: You’re going to be in deep mourning while the godless world throws a party. You’ll be sad, very sad, but your sadness will develop into gladness.’”
John 16:19-20 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/jhn.16.19-20.MSG)
Jesus tried to prepare His disciples through parables, teachings, shared meals, and ministry to the sick, but even the twelve closest to Him missed His message. He declared His purpose and fulfilled it. The night before Easter may have been silent on earth, but Heaven rejoiced as Jesus took His rightful place at the right hand of the Father, His earthly mission complete.
“By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, ‘Father, I place my life in your hands!’ Then he breathed his last.”
Luke 23:44-46 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.23.44-46.MSG)
Jesus breathed His last on earth and took His next breath in Heaven. What we see in the natural world doesn’t reflect the supernatural work done on our behalf. While the world mourned, Jesus conquered the devil, reclaimed what was stolen, recovered the keys of death (Revelation 1:18), paid our ransom with His blood, and canceled our debt with His life. The Bible isn’t just a story of Jesus’s life—it reveals why we were created, why the world is broken, and how God made a way for us to return to Him. It’s the greatest love story ever told, showing His abundant love for us before we even knew Him.
“All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home. Those who knew Jesus well, along with the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a respectful distance and kept vigil.”
Luke 23:48-49 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.23.48-49.MSG)
The crowd that crucified Jesus soon realized they may have killed an innocent man. As Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” We must be mindful of the crowds we follow. If their values don’t align with the Bible, they’ll lead us down a destructive path. If I had to choose, I’d have been among those clutching onto Jesus’s last words, watching His prophecy unfold through tear-filled eyes.
“The women who had been companions of Jesus from Galilee followed along. They saw the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed. Then they went back to prepare burial spices and perfumes. They rested quietly on the Sabbath, as commanded.”
Luke 23:55-56 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.23.55-56.MSG)
Forty days ago, I began preparing for this pivotal moment in history—Resurrection Day. You can deny it, but that doesn’t erase its significance. Historical evidence, both in the Bible and from sources like Josephus and Tacitus, confirms Jesus’s existence. Over 2,000 years of generations have passed down the impact of His life. I choose to stand with the Jesus-following crowd.
The story doesn’t end in the graveyard.
“At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn’t find the body of the Master Jesus.”
Luke 24:1-3 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.24.1-3.MSG)
Jesus was not there—the tomb was empty! He had told them they would grieve, but joy would follow. He did exactly as He promised. Believers should have been in awe, not surprised, as they witnessed the fulfillment of His words. God has a plan for us today: if we believe and confess that Jesus is Lord, death loses its sting, and we are not separated forever but only for a little while. God is so good.
“They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: ‘Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.’ So he went in with them… He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him… While they were saying all this, Jesus appeared to them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’… He showed them his hands and feet… He took [fish] and ate it right before their eyes.”
Luke 24:28-31, 33-43 MSG (https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.24.28-43.MSG)
Friends, Jesus is who He says He is. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you, and when He does, say YES! It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. God isn’t mad at you—He’s madly in love with you, having gone to extraordinary lengths to prove it through the cross and resurrection.
What does Easter mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
From the Depths of Kell 