Christian Living

---

Jonah 3

After God had gotten Jonah's attention and had him right where He wanted him, the Lord came to Jonah a second time. God again told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach to them the message that God would give him. Nineveh was a very big city, a three day's journey from one end to the other. When Jonah reached the city, he cried out that in forty days Nineveh would be destroyed.

We as a society are sometimes like Jonah. The Lord will tell us to go in a certain direction and we will ignore Him or rebel against Him. Just as God got Jonah's full attention, He can get ours too. He will get us right where He wants us and tell us again what He wants us to do. When God want us to do something, we should be honored and ready to do His will. It is going to benefit others and it will be a blessing to us. Plus, God gets the glory.

When the people of Nineveh heard the message that the Lord had given to Jonah, they believed God, proclaimed a feast and put on sackcloth and set in ashes. The king caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles. The king demanded that man and beast alike were not to eat or drink, they were to put on sackcloth and cry out to God. Everyone was to stop the violence and turn from their evil ways. The king hoped that God would turn from His fierce anger, in hopes that they would not be destroyed.

When God shows us what is wrong in our lives, we are to heed His warnings and stop whatever it is that God does not approve of. It is in man's own best interest to do as the Lord says. If we don't, the consequences could be severe. It could even cost someone their life.

God saw that Nineveh had turned from their evil ways. He relented from the disaster that He was going to bring upon them, and He did not do it.

It seems that most of the time we are the ones who call on God to fix the problems in our lives. However, every once in a while, God calls on us to be involved in what He is doing. The Lord called on Jonah to save a city. Jonah, instead ran from this responsibility, suffered the consequences of rebelling against God, but still wound up doing what God wanted. We can save ourselves time, headaches, and gain a blessing if we do want God wants, the first time He tells us.

As a result of Jonah doing what God wanted, a city was saved. The people repented and God spared their lives. When we are on the receiving end of God's message, we should pay attention to what He is telling us an do according to His will. It could a life or many lives. The Lord has people's best interest in mind, always. God is longsuffering and not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9)

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE