Jonah 1:1-4
New International Version (NIV)
Jonah 1
Jonah Flees From the LORD
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”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.
4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
Jonah 3:1-6
New International Version (NIV)
Jonah 3
Jonah Goes to Nineveh
1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.
Jonah 4:1-3
New International Version (NIV)
Jonah 4
Jonah’s Anger at the LORD’s Compassion
1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”Devotion:
When people ask you to do something, your response says a great deal about your relationship with them. Do you say, "yes" and agree to what is asked? Or do you say, "no"? It depends, right? If it's your mom or dad asking you to take out the trash, you will more than likely say, "yes." The reasons for this can range from respect to fear of punishment. But even fear of punishment says something about your relationship. You know your mom or dad is going to follow through with any threat of punishment. Again, your response depends on your relationship.
Read Jonah 1:1-4; 3:1-6; 4:1-3. This is not the whole story of Jonah. It is a record of his responses to God. You know the story of Jonah. God called Jonah to minister to Nineveh. What happened next isn't pretty. Jonah fled. Storm rolls in. Jonah goes overboard. Fish swallows. Fish throws up. Jonah heads to Nineveh. Jonah would inevitably do the work God wanted him to. But not after experiencing some harsh consequences. And not without a bad attitude.
Think about Jonah's responses. Is it true that something about his response speaks to his relationship with God? That would seem to be the case. See, Jonah put his needs first. This says that Jonah valued his own insecurities and fears more than he valued his service for God. While Jonah, eventually got it right, he still managed to get it wrong in the end through selfish thinking.
God is constantly calling you... through His word, through His creation, through His spirit, and through others. How are you responding to His call? How does a positive response communicate your love for Him? How does a negative response affect your usability for God's work?
Challenge yourself to commit to a positive, immediate response to God's call on your life. How can you be making a difference for Christ today?
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