"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. "
Psalm 103:8
TAKING THE LONG WAY
Read It: Jonah 1:4-17
I was talking to a close friend one time who was telling me how defiant .his three-year-old son had become. The boy did a horrible thing I can't even mention. His father spanked him, then looked at him, and said, "Don't you ever do that again. Do you want me to have to spank you again?" The boy looked him in the eye and said, "Yes!" I told my friend, "You'd better get that boy saved fast, because he's either going to wind up in jail or dead." That's how seriously I take the problem of rebellion. Jonah developed a rebellious spirit. But he was no dummy. He knew God was everywhere. He knew he couldn't go somewhere that God couldn't find him. What Jonah was trying to escape from was submitting to God's will. Nineveh is about 550 miles east of Joppa. Tarshish is 2,500 miles west of Joppa. Rather than go 550 miles in God's will, Jonah wanted to go 2,500 miles out of His will. That's exactly the decision many of us have made at one time or another. God says, "Go east, young man," but we go west.
The bad news about rebellion is that if you ever change your mind, you not only have to come back the 2,500 miles you went in the wrong direction, but you still have to go the 550 miles God told you to go in the first place. The trip back is a lot longer than the trip out. And by the way, whenever you run from the will of God, you get to pay the fare. See, the beautiful thing about going to Nineveh is that God would have paid the fare. The horrible thing about going to Tarshish is that you get to pick up the tab. Many of us are paying a high price for our Tarshish trip when if we had done it God's way, He would have picked up the tab. Notice also that when you defy God, you not only mess up yourself, but you mess up those in the neighborhood. Those poor sailors didn't ask for Jonah's mess, but they got it. Are you messing other people up by your rebellion? Think About It The good news about obeying God instead of rebelling is that God always supplies that which He demands.
No Comments