OBEY WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE!
OBEY WITH THE RIGHT ATTITUDE!
Why did Jonah disobey and flee from God’s call?
Are we willing to spend money to avoid God’s what desires to follow our own desires? Are we willing to travel great distances to avoid what God desires to follow our own desires? Are we willing to endure storms to avoid what God desires to follow our own desires? Are we willing to put others in danger to avoid what God desires to follow our own desires? Are we willing to die to avoid what God desires to follow our own desires? Do we need to be close to death before we do what God desires and repent of our selfish desires?
By God’s grace and mercy He rescued Jonah from drowning while Jonah was being disobedient and following his own desires. Would Jonah remember that? Jonah surely was closed in by God and there he prayed while from that fish’s belly— the place his desires got him. He told God he would go do what God desired. God caused the fish to vomit Jonah up on shore and God commanded him a second time to go to Nineveh. Jonah went, preached a short message and the whole city repented, but he did not have a good attitude about it in the least. No, Jonah was angry with God.
God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, has steadfast love and relents from disaster. This is why Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. He knew what God was like and he hated those people and did not want God to save them. Jonah was angry with God because God did not bring destruction upon them. He was angry with God because God did not do to the people what he wanted done to them—- to destroy them! Yet God had pity on the city of Nineveh and the whole city repented even as God worked through a man who had severe anger issues.
Even though God relented from destroying Nineveh because of their repentance, Jonah sat on a hillside just outside the city hoping God would change His mind and destroy the whole city. He was sitting and waiting and watching to see the city annihalated. He desired to see the the city wiped from the face of the earth. The book ends with God expressing His desire to show pity on those who repent. The book ends with Jonah unresponsive to God because of his anger.
Are you being disobedient and fleeing from what you know God desires you to do? Are you angry with God? Are you being selfish? Do you not have a concern for the people God wants you to go to? Are you indifferent toward them or even hate them? How much of a Jonah do you and I have in ourselves? May we be obedient to whatever God wants us to be and do. May this be with a godly attitude and not selfish motivation.Dear Father, please forgive me for the times I have not been what You desire or do what You desire. Please help me to be more like You— gracious, merciful, slow to anger, having steadfast love and not desiring disaster on others. May this be so in the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Sx_U0Ztr8