Obadiah; Jonah 1-4
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The book of Jonah is another one of those stories in the Bible I
knew and loved as a young girl. It
has a simple story and a simple take away:
God told Jonah to go; Jonah said no.
Jonah got thrown off a ship, swallowed by a great fish, and after
three days in its stomach Jonah prayed and was vomited back out.
God said go; Jonah obeyed.
The entire city turned to God and they were saved.
Take away: When God says go – Don’t say no.
It is easy even for a child to understand this. As an adult though, I think it is
harder to go where and when God tells us, and it is easier to run like Jonah or
to have a bad attitude like Jonah.
When I was a child learning this story I just assumed Jonah didn’t want to
go to Nineveh because he was scared to … I didn’t realize that Jonah didn’t
want the city of Nineveh to get saved.
He knew they were a threat to his people, and he wanted God to destroy
them. In fact Jonah got so angry
when God saved them that he wanted to die. But God said, “Should I not be concerned about that great
city?”
I found written in the margins in an old Bible of mine a couple of
thought-provoking statements that I had written down when listening to a sermon
on Jonah. (I don’t remember who
said these things; so sorry to whomever I’m not giving credit to.)
~”The road away from God’s Will might be the easiest, but being in
obedience to God is the safest place in the world.”
~”If you’re in the WRONG place, then the RIGHT place is empty.”
Just like when I was a girl, the take away is still the same: When
God says go; do not say no. Trust
Him, love others like He does, and go.
The question is – will I really apply that to my life?
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