Jonah and Us

We've talked a lot about God & Jesus. Let's talk about you and me this time. I'm not perfect. I have sinned. And, frankly, I feel terrible about it. I often feel as Paul said, "I am the chief of sinners" (ITimothy 1:15). But I am not alone in this confession. Romans 3:23 says "all have sinned...". Without Jesus we would all be in the same boat. Speaking of boats, it reminds me of Jonah. God said to Jonah, "go preach to Nineveh" (Jonah chapter 1). Nineveh was East. Jonah thought this was a very bad idea since Nineveh was a very powerful and evil city, capital of the Assyrian Empire. So instead of traveling by land to the East, Jonah got on a boat going West. Everybody on that boat was in danger, headed in the wrong direction, with a storm brewing. Aren't we like that sometimes; headed just opposite from where we should be headed. But God saved Jonah because He loved him and had a plan for him. And God saved us (Jesus) and has a plan for us. But while He wants us all to be saved (I Peter 3:9), and He made a plan for all of us to be saved, He left it to us to obey and follow Him, to follow Jesus. The choice is ours not His. He did His part, but what about us? Have we made that good commitment. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord', shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' "


Jonah was slow to come around to God's way. But he finally did what God wanted. We can be just as stubborn. We can run from God, but we cannot hide. He must be followed and honored and worshiped.


"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (I Timothy 1:17)