The line snaked out the door at one of our local supermarkets. Some big grocery sale? Not quite. It was for the ‘Imagination Lottery Machine’ of our state’s gambling association. All lucky winners, I’m sure! Me? I’ve never, ever bought a lottery ticket.

The only lottery I’ve won was one I was forced into. Against my will. Pushed and shoved to take a chance. In the late ’60s (1960s that is, wise guy; and no, not the 1860s!), the federal government instituted a lottery system for the military draft. Ugh! Uh oh! I’ve got a 1 in 365 chance of winning based on my birthday. Pretty good odds, or so I figure.

How’d I do? As I looked down the list of birthdays, I didn’t find mine. I’ve won! Off the chart? An oversight? Hardly. Fat chance of that. So, I go back over the register and discover that the first few birthdays are fully printed out with lots of flowery words to soften the blow for those who’ve won. The first and second picks would be the first and second ones to go off to war. My birthdate? Number two. Oh no. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. I’ve won. Or lost. It all depends.

Jonah wins his lottery, too. For he’s the one who’s causing all kinds of trouble for the ship he’s on and for those sailors, all in grave danger of losing their lives in tumultuous seas. As they draw lots, good old Jonah wins. Picks the short straw. All eyes are glued on him. The culprit. This runaway prophet of the Lord wishes he could go back to sleep, hoping beyond hope that all this is but a bad dream. Sorry, Charlie! It isn’t.

In Jonah’s case, he’s turned his back on the call of the Lord. Told to go here, he heads off there. What does God want? Well, He can just take a heavenly hike. Get someone else, while you’re at it. I’m out of here on the first boat to anywhere else. And he succeeds. Sort of. Until.

Well, you probably know the rest of Jonah’s story. If not, it’s only four chapters. Can cover it in less than an hour. Go for it. Maybe, just maybe, the Lord will bring to mind something He’d like you to do for Him that you’ve been putting off. An idea pops into your craw? A nagging thought or two? Your conscience tugs more His way for a change?

Ask for God’s help while being determined to follow through and obey His instructions. Not like Jonah, hightailing it out of Joppa. But there’s more to his story…

Lord Jesus, I want to serve you. Help me to do just that. For your sake. Amen.

Have you read Hosea chapter 8 yet? If not, stop in your tracks, pick up your Bible, and take a good, substantial look. You’ll be flabbergasted at what you find. God’s people plainly have a screwloose or two. What they’re doing won’t hold any water with God.

Here’s a brief catalogue of their rebellion (v. 1) —they claim to know God, yet haven’t a clue what that involves (v. 2-3). They make decisions on their own with nary a nod His way (v. 4). After all, who needs the Almighty? We can handle whatever comes our way. Really?

All the while, they create false gods of things they can touch and trade (v. 6), sowing a gentle wind, and reaping a ferocious whirlwind (v. 7). They seek political alliances with pagan nations (v. 7-10). Even if God wrote His laws on their whiteboards ten thousand times, they’d still consider Him as alien, foreigner, and a weirdo (v. 12). The conclusion to this downer list you’ll find in verse 14–‘For Israel has forgotten his Maker…’

Did I read that right? They forgot the God who made them? The One who loves, cares for, and protects them? Who frees them from slavery in Egypt? And gives them a land flowing with a cornucopia of blessings? Blanked Him out of their minds despite all His generosity? How could that be?

I wonder as I look around at the world we live in. Have we learned anything at all about the biggest questions in life? Smartened up by seeking God and His ways? Giving Him but a passing nod? Not even that?

But am I much better? I realize that the tug of this world takes my gaze away from the Lord Jesus, focusing on money and what we can buy on some primed internet site, wringing my hands in nervous anxiety about things I have little control over. It’s about getting ahead, no matter what, being right at all costs, and having more toys than the next bloke. More…more…and then even more.

The irony is that when we get more, we often wind up with less. Less time to thank the Lord for all His goodness. Far less time in the Bible, hearing from God Himself. Less satisfaction with what we have. Less gratitude for all He gives us. Less time sharing some encouragement with someone who needs it. Giving less financial support for causes that we claim believe in. Less time to smell the roses that God created.

This week, let’s kick back and live life as it’s been given to us by the Lord. How? You know, don’t you? Put on the old thinking cap, asking your Lord for more of Him and less of you know what.

Relish more of less, so to speak!

Lord Jesus, I love you and want to be closer to you every day. Amen.

Oh, to be wise. Mature. Level-headed. Patient. Astute. Shrewd? Maybe in a better sense of the word. Not naive or cynical but perceptive and logical. Any of the above said of me or you? No comments, please!

How to garner some wisdom is today’s quest. I find clues in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Throughout this short prophetic work, Daniel and his three Jewish friends are men of prayer–‘Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of Heaven… ‘(Dan. 2: 17-18). Seek the Lord. Pray.

Daniel knows who to turn to. Whenever and about whatever. To his God, the Lord. The same one we cry out to. When we have a personal relationship with Jesus, we have direct and constant access to God. Can you imagine? So get on the horn and talk it out with Jesus. Every bit. Leaving nothing out. Pray your heart out. Again, whenever and about whatever.

Here’s another smart thought–it’s wise to limit your anger toward those you can barely tolerate. I’m sure it grated on Daniel, the lead wise man in Nebuchadnezzar’s court, to have to rub shoulders with the other religious scholars who worshipped pagan deities. Religious oil and water never mix.

Nevertheless, when King Nebuchadnezzar commanded that all the royal scholars and their families and possessions would go up in a puff of smoke if the king’s dream was not told to him in its entirety; and, in addition, correctly interpreted, it’s then that Daniel jumps in to save not only his own skin but that of all the wise men under his command, including the most pagan of all.

Wise Daniel cares about his opponents–‘…Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation’ (Dan. 2: 24). Can you sense a hint there? I struggle with this. Such compassion is rarely in me. I know I need God’s help. Just me?

Near the end of Daniel’s book, we find more savvy words–‘And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase’ (Dan. 12: 3-4).

Here’s a clever idea–tell others about Jesus. Open up about who you worship and follow. Share already! No particular way is prescribed. Most will do. Find yours and go for it. Speak up. Didn’t someone do that for you?

And don’t forget about that ‘book’ that’s mentioned in verse 4. It’s your Bible, life’s roadmap. It’s without equal. You’ll discover the Word of God guides and comforts you. Ignore it, let it gather dust, and you’ll run everywhere you shouldn’t go, all confused and messed up, scurrying down rabbit trails to who knows where. Basically, lost.

Find your path with the Lord and stay on it. It’s found in the pages of your Bible. Grab hold of it and dig in. Keep plugging away. And, by all means, never leave home without it!

Lord Jesus, be my guide always. Thank you for my Bible. In your name and for your sake. Amen.