Daily Devotions
WHO Are You Not Sharing the Gospel With and WHY Won't You Share It?
Reading for September 24th: Obadiah-Jonah
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? This is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." And the LORD said, "Do you do well to be angry?"
Jonah 4:1-4
A couple random observations about Jonah...
1. Isn't it amazing to think that the Ninevites repented at the preaching of JONAH? Another argument that the power is in the word, not the preacher. I'm sure he didn't spend hours working on his sermon outlines or carefully choose just the right words to say to them. Just plant the seed and God will bring the increase.
2. Remember that there was a REASON why Jonah hated the Ninevites. I think we forget this when we talk about Jonah. I'm not making excuses for him. I'm just saying we need to think about how we can be like Jonah. Think about the horrible things we've heard about on the news from this group called ISIS. The Assyrians did much worse. Believe me... MUCH WORSE! There was a reason Jonah hated them. But God still loved them. God wanted them to repent.
Now ponder this question... who are you not sharing the gospel with because you don't like them?
Father, forgive us for lacking faith in your Word or for not loving our enemies as you have loved us.
