Read Jonah 4:1–11

People love receiving grace and compassion.

Be honest. You are no exception. You love it when the police officer lets you go without a ticket. You appreciate when a good friend overlooks your impatience. Grace sure beats justice when you do wrong. Compassion is surely preferred over judgment when you step out of line.

It is quite ironic, though, that, while we relish grace and compassion for ourselves, we sometimes desire justice and judgment for others. Those two realities make Jonah’s story inconceivably realistic. It is inconceivable that a recipient of grace would want to see it withheld from others? And yet we do at times. We sometimes want them to get what they deserve. That is what makes it realistic.

Jonah 4 helps us to understand why Jonah resisted at the outset. He didn’t want to go to Nineveh because he did not want to see God extend grace to the people. He wanted them to experience justice. So, when God asked him to head east, Jonah fled west.

Under coercion of a great fish and with the possible hope that this great God would exercise justice, Jonah went. He warned. And then, he watched. The Ninevites repented. True to form, God relented. And, surprisingly, Jonah regretted ever having gone there.

That is when God used a leafy plant, a worm, the wind, and the sun to teach a lesson. Jonah claimed some ownership and appreciation for a plant. He had done nothing to bring the plant into existence or to care for it. Still, he loved it. Shouldn’t the sovereign creator God, who created the Ninevites, have compassion for these ones made in His image?

You see, this “grace for me, justice for you” attitude is a dangerous thing. It will prevent you from participating in God’s mission. He desires that all people be saved (1 Tim 2:4). In experiencing the wonderful, matchless grace of Jesus, you are postured to be its greatest advocate to others.

Steve Kern

Read Jonah 3:1-10

For some of us, the most insecure moments of our lives have been where we have had to make public appearances among unknown people for a specific occasion.  It may be a public reception, starting in a new school, new job, meeting the potential in-laws for the first time, or even walking into a church.  The reality is that there are times when blending in is not easy when we show up to new and unknown places. For some, it is even harder than for others, and that is just for the events in our lives that are new and unique. Then there is the everyday in and out of our lives. . . the work that we do, the school we attend, the social circles that we gather in, or the online comments that we make and leave behind. Do we blend in or do we stand out? If we stand out, who do we stand out for?  

By the time we engage God’s word in Jonah chapter 3, the prophet has had some incredible experiences that could never go unnoticed upon his entry into Ninevah. A foreign land, with a foreign message of sin and repentance from the God of heaven and earth; this was Jonah’s message to share. This was Jonah’s call to come to someplace new and offer a way that would change everyday living. 

Ninevah offered a culture that was carnal, confused, and brutally violent.   As we reflect that God’s calling of Jonah was to engage this culture by going “to the Great City of Ninevah” and to “preach against it” (Jonah 1:2), we have no hard time relating to Jonah’s desire to never show up to begin with. The message that he was tasked to preach offered in return a risk of personal safety for himself, as well as risk of Israel’s enemies having the chance to turn from their ways and make peace with God. After running from God’s call, being cast into the sea, and then spending three days in the fish, Jonah’s subsequent condition of being spit up on the enemy’s shore shows all of us that his life does not blend in to the typical human experience.  Furthermore, can we only imagine the physical differences between Jonah and the citizens of Ninevah?  Talk about a public appearance where insecurity may abound… not only was he going to be identified as a foreigner, but he had just lived for three days inside of a fish!  Based on his physical appearance alone, no doubt that he would not have blended in.  With inconspicuous arrival not being an option, Jonah’s first steps into the city were going to be steps that stood out.

His preaching would separate him even more.

I have never been called to a task as powerfully as Jonah and I am certainly not a prophet.  However, I do know that I have been called to not blend into the world around us and, as a member of Christ’s kingdom, to bring the message of the peace that God brings to all people who I encounter.  Our society is a society of confusion.  Though we are different from the Ninevites in many ways, we are very much like them as our people are longing for those to live among them and share a message of hope in troubling times. How we go about doing this, engaging our daily lives at work, school, our neighborhoods and yes, even the comments and posts that we leave behind, says everything to a world around us about the character of the church and message of the God who we are called to represent. I am inspired by Jonah’s courage among his disobedience and his obedience in light of his courage. I ask you to join me in praying for all of us (myself included), that, in the light of obedience that God has called us to, we would strand out as those who enter our city on a daily basis, bringing the message of peace and hope offered by Christ.

Joe Rubino

Read Jonah 2:1-10

“From inside the fish Jonah prayed…”

I read six words and already my mind is blown. Inside a fish, a man did anything aside from being digested. It touches places in my imagination that, were it not for the truth I believe the Bible to be, would only stand in a strange piece of fiction. But God had a plan that involved this man, Jonah, so He arranged a savior in the form of a great big fish to keep him alive.

And from there Jonah prayed.

Of all the things that God could have given to Jonah, He provided a fish’s belly as a respite. God provided mercy for Jonah just like He wanted to provide mercy and grace for Ninevah. But Jonah hated that city.

The words of his prayer read like a turning point for Jonah and his hard-hearted life of self-centered disobedience. But the rest of the story proves his verbiage insincere at best. Even after three days in a fish’s stomach, Jonah remained unwilling to sacrifice his own expectations for the city he despised.

So God commanded the fish to vomit and out came Jonah. I imagine the physical stench mirrored the spiritual scent God smelled on his man. God did not care for the words that only sounded like praise. He wanted Jonah’s obedient heart, not his beautiful words.

Even so, the truth of verse 8 rings loud and true. “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.” If only Jonah had seen that truth for himself. If only he’d given up the idol that was himself, his pride, his desire for things to go his own way.

What kind of worthless idols do you cling to? What kind of life lived from the freedom of God’s love are you forfeiting as you cling to them? What are you holding onto that holds you back from experiencing the freedom that comes from fully surrendering to and obeying God?

Is it financial? A relationship? Your own need for approval? Is it living in what’s comfortable?

Whatever it is, God’s love is better. His plan is always best. Whatever worthless idol you cling to will never bring the true freedom God gives to those who trust His way and follow Him wholeheartedly.

Bria Wasson

Read Jonah 1:1-17

Don’t be surprised if sometime, somewhere, someplace, when you least expect it, someone steps up to you and says, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!”

That was the tag line for a popular TV hidden camera show a few years ago where people were put into crazy situations to see what their reactions would be. The master mind of the show was a man named Alan Funt who, at the height of the craziness, would pop in and say, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!”

That must have been Jonah’s thought on this crazy day of his.  God told him to go to a city whose people he detested and to tell them about God’s love!  That was the LAST thing Jonah wanted to do as he was praying for their destruction, not their redemption!

So, what did he do?  He thought he could run away from God. Instead of going towards Ninevah, Jonah headed the opposite way, only to wind up on a ship during a terrible storm with a frightened crew who eventually threw him overboard where he was swallowed by a whale!

Cue Alan Funt!

However, there are several lessons we can learn from Jonah’s bizarre day!

1. You can’t run away from God! He is everywhere! Psalm 139:7-8

 Where can I go from your spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go to the heavens you are there.

If I make my bed in the depths you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

If I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me!

Your right hand will hold me fast.

2. God didn’t give up on Jonah and He won’t give up on us either. God had a specific task He wanted done.  Jonah, it seems, was the best man for the job. No one else would do. Even though Jonah was rejecting God’s plan for him, God wasn’t rejecting Jonah.  He promises to never leave us or forsake us either!  He will be there to protect us in the storms of life and rescue us from some bad situations of our own making. Sometimes we have to be “swallowed up”, so to speak, to teach us a lesson. but He will be right there to comfort, guide, and give us strength if we will just seek Him.

3. God works all things for good for those who love Him.  Unbeknownst to Jonah, because he was already in the belly of the whale, his reluctant testimony was enough to convert the sailors who were worshiping false gods to the one true God.

Jonah THOUGHT running the other way was all his own plan to avoid going to Ninevah; however, I think God had this detoured route to Ninevah planned the whole time. How else would the sailors learn about God if Jonah hadn’t rebelled and wasn’t on their ship?

What is God wanting you to do?  Who does He want you to witness and show His love to?  Is it someone you don’t like?  Will you do it willingly or will you need to take the “scenic detour” like Jonah?

Pat Arnold

Read Jonah 4:1–11

People love receiving grace and compassion.

Be honest. You are no exception. You love it when the police officer lets you go without a ticket. You appreciate when a good friend overlooks your impatience. Grace sure beats justice when you do wrong. Compassion is surely preferred over judgment when you step out of line.

It is quite ironic, though, that, while we relish grace and compassion for ourselves, we sometimes desire justice and judgment for others. Those two realities make Jonah’s story inconceivably realistic. It is inconceivable that a recipient of grace would want to see it withheld from others? And yet we do at times. We sometimes want them to get what they deserve. That is what makes it realistic.

Jonah 4 helps us to understand why Jonah resisted at the outset. He didn’t want to go to Nineveh because he did not want to see God extend grace to the people. He wanted them to experience justice. So, when God asked him to head east, Jonah fled west.

Under coercion of a great fish and with the possible hope that this great God would exercise justice, Jonah went. He warned. And then, he watched. The Ninevites repented. True to form, God relented. And, surprisingly, Jonah regretted ever having gone there.

That is when God used a leafy plant, a worm, the wind, and the sun to teach a lesson. Jonah claimed some ownership and appreciation for a plant. He had done nothing to bring the plant into existence or to care for it. Still, he loved it. Shouldn’t the sovereign creator God, who created the Ninevites, have compassion for these ones made in His image?

You see, this “grace for me, justice for you” attitude is a dangerous thing. It will prevent you from participating in God’s mission. He desires that all people be saved (1 Tim 2:4). In experiencing the wonderful, matchless grace of Jesus, you are postured to be its greatest advocate to others.

Steve Kern

Read Jonah 3:1-10

For some of us, the most insecure moments of our lives have been where we have had to make public appearances among unknown people for a specific occasion.  It may be a public reception, starting in a new school, new job, meeting the potential in-laws for the first time, or even walking into a church.  The reality is that there are times when blending in is not easy when we show up to new and unknown places. For some, it is even harder than for others, and that is just for the events in our lives that are new and unique. Then there is the everyday in and out of our lives?  The work that we do, the school we attend, the social circles that we gather in, or the online comments that we make and leave behind. Do we blend in or do we stand out? If we stand out, who do we stand out for?  

By the time we engage God’s word in Jonah chapter 3, the prophet has had some incredible experiences that could never go unnoticed upon his entry  into Ninevah. A foreign land, with a foreign message of sin and repentance from the God of heaven and earth; this was Jonah’s message to share. This was Jonah’s call to come to someplace new and offer a way that would change everyday living. 

Ninevah offered a culture that was carnal, confused, and brutally violent.   As we reflect that God’s calling of Jonah was to engage this culture by going “to the Great City of Ninevah” and to “preach against it” (Jonah 1:2), we have no hard time relating to Jonah’s desire to never show up to begin with. The message that he was tasked to preach offered in return a risk of personal safety for himself, as well as risk of Israel’s enemies having the chance to to turn from their ways and make peace with God. After running from God’s call, being cast into the sea, and then spending three days in the fish, Jonah’s subsequent condition of being spit up on the enemy’s shore shows all of us that his life does not blend in to the typical human experience.  Furthermore, can we only imagine the physical differences between Jonah and the citizens of Ninevah?  Talk about a public appearance where insecurity may abound… Not only was he going to be identified as a foreigner, but he had just lived for three days inside of a fish!  Based on his physical appearance alone, no doubt that he would not have blended in.  With inconspicuous arrival not being an option, Jonah’s first steps into the city were going to be steps that stood out.

His preaching would separate him even more.

I have never been called to a task as powerfully as Jonah and I am certainly not a prophet.  However, I do know that I have been called to not blend into the world around us and, as a member of Christ’s kingdom, to bring the message of the peace that God brings to all people who I encounter.  Our society is a society of confusion.  Though we are different from the Ninevites in many ways, we are very much like them as our people are longing for those to live among them and share a message of hope in troubling times. How we go about doing this, engaging our daily lives at work, school, our neighborhoods and yes, even the comments and posts that we leave behind, says everything to a world around us about the the character of the church and message of the God who we are called to represent. I am inspired by Jonah’s courage among his disobedience and his obedience in light of his courage. I ask you to join me in praying for all of us (myself included), that, in the light of obedience that God has called us to, we would strand out as those who enter our city on a daily basis, bringing the message of peace and hope offered by Christ.

Joe Rubino