Jonah 4:5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."
Jonah 4:9 But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"
"I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die."Jonah 4:10 But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"
I know that you have probably read the story of Jonah 1000 times, but for me there are so many important lessons in this small book that I keep going back to it. My favorite chapters are 3 and 4, you know the ones that few people read because Jonah has already been thrown up by the whale. Like most things in life, the lessons in the later part of Jonah are often missed, but not because of the quality of the lesson, but because the text itself is not popular. We as Christians can be come guilty of only studying certain parts of the Bible if we are not careful. There is a great lesson on that point by itself, but today there is a different lesson on the heart of Team Swap.
What Team Swap would like to share today is how many times we are like Jonah when it comes to the things in our life. We do NOTHING for them, we enjoy the pleasure they bring to our lives, and when they are not there anymore we complain. All the while we are enjoying our unearned pleasures, and later when we complain about their removal, we completely miss the larger issues and larger struggles going on around us. We miss them because they are things that are not important to us. The things we are focused on are the things we like or dislike in our own personal life. Many times, the issues around us mean nothing to us if they are not related to our personal comfort.
Jonah wanted to see Nineveh destroyed because Nineveh was the local super power that consistently sacked, attacked, and destroyed Jonah’s fellow citizens. Jonah’s heart was NEVER right toward the Ninevites. In spite of Jonah’s hatred of Nineveh, God used Jonah anyway. This is but one example of God using His people to bless the world in spite of the attitude and ways of His people. Let’s us all pray that God never uses us like He used Jonah, basically in spite of ourselves.
Our point in this post is challenge everyone that reads it not to become so involved in personal issues that we miss the larger important issues around us. Many times we make our own issues larger and more important then they really are. Just because we feel a certain way, or because we feel a certain way about something, does not mean that it is God’s will or His plan or His priority. Too many times we assume that the world and all of it’s treasures are here for our personal use and enjoyment. We never consider that there may be other factors larger then ourselves involved. Our selfish sinful heart’s do not mirror God’s will. If we plan to be fruitful in God’s plan we must remember that we serve Him, He does not serve us and that our will is not His will. Role reversal is a huge problem within the body of Christ.
So today focus on others, their needs and God’s plan to use you in the lives of others. Let us not assume that the things that we enjoy are deserved, and remember that they are God’s anyway and He is loving enough to let us borrow them for awhile. Also be sure that we are not being used in spite of ourselves and that there are no “grudges” that we harbor against others that are keeping us from being effective in the kingdom. His stuff, His rules, and His time lead to our success.
Have a great day serving God mightily.
