Are Your Stories True?

Luke 11:29-36 New English Translation (NET) The Sign of Jonah 29 As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon—and now, something greater than Solomon is here! 32 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them—and now, something greater than Jonah is here! Internal Light 33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a hidden place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is diseased, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore see to it that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, with no part in the dark, it will be as full of light as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” Just to let you know I am continuing to read through the Bible again this year. The Tyndale “One Year Bible” is my guide. However, this year I am reading the various sections continuously from another source. I really like the NET and the NIRV translations. The verses above are from the NET. Many times I have read these verses. My understanding seems to be growing but still incomplete. The Bible is like that. Read on read carefully. My God, the one true living God has said His truth is written on the hearts of the people. That means he knows us and is in us even before we realize it. Do you want to believe it is true? Here He says we are part of or descendants of a wicked generation. We are wicked. We are all wicked. That’s a hopeful thought? But, we want a sign. He says seeing a sign is up to us. The signs are present every where. “No sign will be given except the sign of Jonah”, What in the world does that mean? Have you read the story of Jonah…or are you just going from hearsay? I suggest reading it. Start out by believing the story is true. Jonah is real and the people of Nineveh did listen and repent. Do you think Jonah was/is a skeptic? Are we skeptics? Were the teachers of the law skeptics? What is the “Sign of Jonah”? Does the story that follows in verse 33 relate to the “Sign of Jonah”? If the lamp is not on the lamp stand, if it is hidden…my eye is my lamp stand???..if I am not watching my body is full of darkness…I am unable to see the…”Sign of Jonah”… Perhaps because of who we are, where we came from and the journey we have made, just perhaps, our stories tell about the “Sign of Jonah”!!! Do you like to hear peoples stories? Do you like to tell your stories? Are your stories important? What kind of stories do you share in letters and emails? What kind of stories do you post on your Facebook page? Please tell me your stories. Does this story bring to mind any of your stories? Oh.btw. listening to stories might be how we can get filled with the light…really!