Lessons From Jonah #2

SF, Carson City, NV

Dear Brothers & Sisters In Christ,

(Continued from 8/19/15)

     Back to Jonah, God wanted him to obey.  Why?  To see, as we must, that He loves all mankind.  Even those who have no knowledge except to follow satan.  Every human has been born on earth to make one important decision – Where will they spend eternity?  And it must be done freely and from the heart.  To make that choice, all must see the truth about God the Creator, Jesus our Savior, Holy Spirit our Comforter/Teacher and Lucifer the wannabe god (Isaiah 14:12-14).

Jonah 2:8-10 “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy,

but I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of thanksgiving;

I will pay that which I have vowed.  Salvation is of the LORD.

And the LORD spoke unto the fish,

and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”

     Remember, we have a God of second (plus) chances – no matter what we’ve done; He’ll forgive us and bring us back to His fold (Luke 15:4-7).  There’s only one time limit that I know of – you must come or return to Jesus, before you take your last breath.  I do know there have been men today like Jonah, who have gone to hell and returned, but it was to give their testimony of what hell is really like – a place of torment 24/7 with no exists!

     Back again to Jonah (chapter 3) where Nineveh fasted, prayed and repented (changed their ways) asking God for forgiveness.  When God saw their works, He revoked His decision and Nineveh was saved, but Jonah still needs help.  That’s all it took for Nineveh and it’s all it takes for us, so we need to be careful about condemning anyone, for we never know when or IF they will turn their life over to the Lord, as we have.  If you have anger still, take another lesson Jonah learned.

     We see Jonah going to the Lord (chapter 4) very angry.  He said Lord; I knew you were a Gracious and Merciful God.  That’s why he ran in the opposite direction.  Jonah’s desire is to die now, because of the redemption given Nineveh.  That kind of anger had to come from a great deal of hurt.  But God’s only response was – Do you do well to be angry?  Another words, being angry because someone who hurt you is forgiven is a waste of time, because we were all sinners in need of forgiveness.

     Jonah sat outside the city in a booth he built, to watch what God would do.  God made a gourd (shading plant) grow up over Jonah to shade (comfort) and deliver him from his evil (judgment).  Yet Jonah only recognized and thankful for the shade it gave him.  In his anger, he couldn’t see Gods’ loving care, to deliver him from his anger.

     So the next day, God had the gourd wither and brought a hot east wind; making Jonah faint from the heat.  In desperation, again Jonah said, its better I die than live.  Gods’ response was to ask him, if it was good he was angry about the loss of a gourd?  Jonah said yes – angry enough to die.

     Notice God’s final answer to Jonah in the Message Bible (paraphrased) “What’s this?  How is it you can change your feeling from pleasure to anger overnight, about a mere shade tree (gourd) in one day that you did nothing to get?  So why can’t I change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure?  Nineveh has more than 120,000 childlike people who don’t know right from wrong, to say nothing of all these innocent animals.”

Finished on 8/23/15