"Blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it. "
Luke 11:28
NO, I WON'T GO
Read It: Jonah 1:1-3
We're beginning our third week of studies in spiritual rebounding. I hope you're getting some bounce back in your walk with Christ. This week's biblical character not only missed his shot, he had to bounce back about as far as anyone I can think of. Jonah is also the only guy I know who got mad because he made his second shot! It's going to be an interesting week. Jonah teaches us how to rebound from rebellion. He defied God, so you know he messed up. Some of us are messed up because we have been rebellious. No one is going to tell us what to do-not mama, not daddy, not even God. We want to be our own boss, the captain of our ship, the master of our fate. The book of Jonah doesn't take long to read, but it's quite a story. I hope that by the time we're finished this week, we'll know more about our big God than we do about the big fish. Let me set the stage for you. Jonah was a prophet during a rebellious time in Israel. God was angry with His people.
Two other prophets who ministered at this time were Amos and Hosea. God dipped down into the school of the prophets and said to Jonah, "I've got a job for you. Go east to Nineveh and deliver My message to those wicked people." But Jonah said, "No thanks," and headed west. Why? Because he knew who the Ninevites were. Nineveh was the capital ital of the bloodthirsty, cruel pagan empire of Assyria. The Assyrians were Israel's enemies, a people who were going to be used by God just a few decades later to punish Israel by taking them into captivity. You get the picture. Jonah has two problems. First, if he goes to Nineveh and preaches and the people repent, then God will spare them His judgment. ment. Jonah is a loyal Israelite. He doesn't want to see that happen. Second, if he goes to Nineveh and preaches and they don't repent, he just might get carved up. Jonah is in a classic catch-22, so he decides he won't go. Bad choice. Think About It If God asked you to reach out to someone you don't like, what would you tell Him?
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