Today’s Reading: Jonah 1
Today’s Verse: But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. Jonah 1:3 KJV
We all know the story about Jonah and the great fish (Jonah 1 KJV).
It tells how he rose up one day and fled “unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
He did not want to heed the Lords call to “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness [had] come up before [Him].”
Jonah knew that the people of Ninevah were people known for their violent behavior and cruelty to others.
They were the sworn enemies of Israel.
Giving Jonah a good reason to despise them.
That is why “he found a ship going to Tarshish [and] he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord (Jonah 1:3 KJV).
The Lord knew what he had done.
He sent out a great wind into the sea.
It was so mighty that the crew felt that the ship was to be broken.
Questioning what was happening and why it was happening.
The men became very scared (Jonah 1:4-10 KJV).
When Jonah finally admitted that it was happening because of him, he offered a remedy.
They were to cast him into the sea.
When they did, the Lord had him swallowed by a great fish.
Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish before he yielded to the Lord’s call.
Upon his deliverance out of the fish, he goes on to Nineveh.
The Bible’s account of his experience has great meaning to our call to service.
As His disciples, we are sometimes called to minister to others.
We are not to let knowledge of their past hinder us from speaking to them.
Despite how we may feel about a situation, the Lord knows what the plan is.
God loves us just like He loved the people of Ninevah.
He wanted to give us the chance to change our ways.
Sometimes the goal of ministering to them also carries an additional purpose.
A great message is found in Jonah’s story.
Although there are a few among us who would not have tried to decline such a mission, there are some who would.
It shows that the Savior is guiding our behavior.
He is teaching us a valuable lesson that we can follow throughout our lives.
We need to check ourselves and see what may be keeping us from serving the Lord fully.
When the Word of the Lord comes to us, may we let the Spirit of the Lord bring every one of our thoughts into obedience.
The process may be painful at times.
But everything He does in our lives are for our good and His glory.
A WORD OF PRAYER
Father, we all have a call on our lives. When You call, we are to answer. It may not be the call we desire, and the process may be painful. But it is one You know we can handle. Everything we do for You is done for our good. Many times it is to help us grow in certain areas of our lives. Let us answer You call with a readiness of heart. The glory is Yours. We give it all to You.
In Jesus Name We Pray, Amen