Jonah
Have you ever avoided what you knew God was calling you to?
Has the Holy Spirit ever warned you and saved you from heartache or disaster?
The Lord called Jonah to share a word to the people of Nineveh. This was a warning for them to turn from their evil ways. Instead of running toward the assignment, he ran away. How many of us would’ve avoided this call? Jonah’s initial reaction was to run, but his life still produced fruit. Let me tell you how…
After being thrown overboard and saved in the belly of a whale,Jonah eventually spoke the word to the people of Nineveh and they turned from evil and worshiped God! They too experienced God’s mercy and were saved. More than 120,000 people were saved instead of perishing.
Now, centuries later, as I read of Jonah and how the Lord confirmed this blog “Bear Fruit,” I see the weight of the call. Jonah’s life blesses me because of his story. The Lord’s nature is to extend mercy to us. His heart is to draw us near to Him. The consequence of Nineveh’s idolatry would have been death, but they were given a chance to change their ways. Jonah helps me to see the reality in being human and God calling you to a great assignment. We may be afraid, but we must trust the Lord knows best. We must be obedient to the call and we will see Him move! Nineveh helps me to see the reality of going off the deep end and allowing the ways of the world to influence you and the reality of how badly we need Jesus.
The end of the book in Chapter 4 brought me to tears. Jonah shows us his humanity again by being angry that God did not destroy the people! The Lord our God so graciously explained to Jonah the wonders of His mercy in chapter 4. In verse 10-11 “And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?””Jonah 4:10-11 ESVJonah’s disappointment dwindled as he realized the Lord’s Compassion and how silly his own anger was. How great is the love of our father! He would rather see us free than suffer from our sin. He would rather see us free! I want to emphasize that. Let Nineveh’s warning be your call to return to the Lord today. Let the mercy they received remind you that God is merciful. That Jesus has paid the price for our sin.Let Jonah’s life, let the Lord’s mercy and compassion on him even in his fear motivate you to bear fruit – to be obedient and to see Him move as a result.
