Jonah 1:1-2 – A message from the Lord came to Jonah. He was the son of Amittai. The Lord said, “Go to the great city of Nineveh. Preach against it. The sins of its people have come to my attention.”
How did Jonah respond? He got up, left his home, went to the port of Joppa, bought a ticket on a ship sailing to Tarshish, and went in the opposite direction God had told him to. Jonah’s journey became very uncomfortable. Storms threatened to destroy the ship, and the crew became afraid. Eventually, Jonah told the crew to throw him overboard, and the seas would calm down. They did, and God sent a great fish that swallowed Jonah, who spent three days and nights in the belly of the fish. While in the fish, Jonah realized the error of his ways, repented, and told God he would do as God had commanded. God commands the fish to vomit Jonah on a beach, and we see the start of the greatest revival in human history.
Many have forgotten what it means to focus on God’s priorities. Many of us want to be used by God, but God cannot be used until we focus on him. We can’t expect different results if we haven’t changed our focus. Most of us prioritize solely on our job, our leisure, our comfort, and our family. We cannot just keep plodding through life, focusing on something other than God, and expect God to do great things. God expects us to focus on him. There will be no difference until our focus changes.
God gave Jonah a second chance. He took it. Being God’s child and not serving him but being focused on self makes us miserable. Jonah refocused himself. While he was in that fish, he received a crash course in getting to know God.
Every believer has a testimony and message from God. God tells Jonah that he is not going to Nineveh to do what he wants to do, but to tell them what God wants them to hear. The message was REPENT. That was a short message. It did not take long to share that message. But it was God’s message, not his. We must proclaim God’s message, not ours; we must give this world God’s views.
God is counting on us to make a difference in this world. Can you make that difference? God wants to use you and give us another chance. Will you accept that opportunity?
Can God count on you to increase your knowledge of his word so you can defend it against false teachers and their disciples? God wants us to move beyond spiritual infancy and advance to maturity. We do this when we pray, study, and apply the Scriptures. Will you resolve to study the Scriptures daily?
Can God count on you to defend the truth against every foe? Too many people will defend the gospel if someone they do not like is perverting it. But if one of their friends perverts God’s words, they tend to be very tolerant, or they will make excuses for them. When truth is at stake, we should have no friends except God.
Can God count on you to take an active role in the work and worship of the local church? God has not solely assigned the responsibility for building up the local congregation to the pastor; we are in it together.
Can God count on you to be uncompromising in the fight against sin, shame, and immorality? If God can count on us, let’s prove it!
Ephesians 1:17-19: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength.”