1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Someday... he will be calling me back. Am i encouraged by those words? But i am encouraged as i look forward to seeing the dead in Christ again!

Jonah 1:3

3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish . He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Am i running away from the Lord regarding anything? It would be as pointless as Jonah's effort, wouldn't it?

Hosea 2:8

⁸ She has not acknowledged that I was the one
    who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil,
who lavished on her the silver and gold –
    which they used for Baal.

I must acknowledge that everything i have is given graciously to me by God - and be thankful for it! And use it for his glory.

2 Chronicles 25:7-10

⁷ But a man of God came to him and said, ‘Your Majesty, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the Lord is not with Israel – not with any of the people of Ephraim. ⁸ Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow.’
⁹ Amaziah asked the man of God, ‘But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?’
The man of God replied, ‘The Lord can give you much more than that.’
¹⁰ So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. 

Do i fully trust in God? Could he not give me much more money than the amount that i feel i have been cheated of? Of course he can!

2 Chronicles 24:22

²² King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, ‘May the Lord see this and call you to account.’

Eventually, everyone will be held accountable for all the wrong they have done. I can take comfort in this and not try to exact revenge.

2 Kings 12:13-15

¹³ The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the Lord; ¹⁴ it was paid to the workers, who used it to repair the temple. ¹⁵ They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. 

They acted with complete honesty - no need to check on them! Can i be entrusted in the same way?

2 Kings 10:28-29

²⁸ So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. ²⁹ However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit – the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

People can be actively serving God - with their hearts. But at the same time, they can still be harbouring some sins in their lives which will not make them as effective as they can be. I must deal with the sins and the lies that still remain.