Jonah: The Grumpy, Disobedient Prophet
In today’s Bible reading* we read through the book of Jonah. For many of us, it’s a familiar story.
God tells Jonah to preach against Nineveh. Jonah runs away in the opposite direction and catches a boat sailing for Tarshish. A great storm tosses the boat and the sailors toss Jonah from the boat. God appoints a great fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah repents. God forgives and again charges Jonah to preach against Nineveh. Nineveh’s king declares a fast for every living thing. The people repent. God relents. Jonah pouts. God appoints a plant to shade Jonah, then He appoints a worm to eat the plant. Jonah cares more about his situation than the repentance of the people and God’s relenting of destroying Nineveh.
Application
As you live your lives, how concerned are you about the eternal destiny of those around you? Your family? Your coworkers? Your fellow church members? Yourself?
Jesus commissioned His Disciples to make disciples of all people groups. If you are one of His disciples, He commissioned you to make disciples, too.
It’s easy to drop a check in the offering plate to support the work of missions here and abroad, thinking that your job is complete. But it isn’t.
How are you personally involved in making disciples? Have you been (and are you being) discipled? If you’ve never had a mentor in the Christian faith, ask God to provide one for you. And ask people at your church if they’d be interested in walking with you in pursuing a dynamic walk with God.
As you are discipled, ask God to bring someone into your life that you can help to pursue a dynamic walk with God.
Don’t be like Jonah, concerned more about your own situation than that of lost people around you.
* Chapters covered in today’s reading:
Jonah 1
Jonah 2
Jonah 3
Jonah 4