Verse of the Day 8/8

 

Jonah 1:1-2The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ² "Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because their wickedness has confronted  Me."   Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

 

We've been considering how throughout the ages right up to today how God calls people to "get up and go", that He has a mission for His servants.  Today's verse begin the book of Jonah.  He was another prophet that God called to get up and go, only in this instance we have a "reluctant" servant.  Instead of going where God wanted him to go, he took off in the opposite direction, towards Tarshish.

 

We are all familiar with the story of how Jonah ended up being swallowed by the great fish, or whale only to be spit up in Nineveh.  One of the underlying themes in the book is how God uses his creation to influence people, ultimately to achieve His purposes, which in the end were accomplished.  In this fascinating book God commands a fish to swallow Jonah (1:17). God commands a plant to grow (4:6) and commands a worm to kill it (4:7)/

 

It should humble us and make us think of times in our lives when we may have been reluctant to do something that God has been calling us to do but eventually, "circumstances" brought us around to finally doing it.  Did you think that it was God using such things as plants, animals or something else to bring you around to His way of thinking?

 

Perhaps you know someone that is in a "bad way" (v.2 The Message) but you've been reluctant to reach out.  God has made you aware of the circumstance or the need, is He calling you to "do something"?  After reading about Jonah, it might be a good idea to follow through on God's call, He has all the resources at His fingertips to accomplish His purposes.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

 

Jonah 1:1-2The Message (MSG)

Running Away from God

1 ^1-2 One day long ago, God's Word came to Jonah, Amittai's son: "Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They're in a bad way and I can't ignore it any longer."