KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, September 22, 2016
Chapters: The Book of Jonah
Message: God’s Alternate Plan
Hello My Friend,
The book of Jonah contains four chapters, the author of the book is Jonah and it was written to the nation of Nineveh. The timeline for these events took place approximately 825BC to 790BC. The purpose of the book was to get Nineveh to acknowledge God, repent, and turn to Him. It was also to document to the Jews that salvation was not for them only, but for all who repent and turn to Him. What we are to learn from the book is that God does not put a restriction on salvation is not restricted, it is for all who shall call upon the name of the Lord. “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” – Jonah 4:11.
As Christians, no matter how faithful we are to God, there are some things that are in His will for us that we just do not want to do. When you think about it, the decisions we make may not be ideal, or in the will of God, but God will use them for a purpose anyway, then convince us that it is time to do what He wants. Jonah, flourished in or before the reign of Jeroboam II, about 820BC. Having already, prophesied in the Northern Kingdom (See II Kings 14), he was sent to Nineveh to tell them to repent and be saved. Since they were not Jews, Jonah saw no need to go to them and instead got on a ship going in the opposite direction thinking he can escape God. God chose to use this time to not only remind Jonah that he cannot run from Him, but to also bring salvation to a ship of men as He caused a hurricane to develop in the sea.
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.” – Jonah 1:11-16.
“Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly,” While it was not God’s plan for Jonah to take off in a ship., God had an alternate plan, and used this time to get the men to repent. God will use us for His purpose no matter where we are, even if we think we are trying to escape His will. Sooner or later we come to the realization that we are better off going what He asks in the first place. While sitting in the belly of a whale for three nights and days, Jonah prayed to God.
“I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” – Jonah 2:6-10.
“When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD:” It often takes a near death situation for us to be reminded that we belong to God and are to be a living sacrifice for Him. I often look at my life and think why God allows certain things or even brought people into my life when clearly He has other plans for me. Then I realize I am here to serve Him, He may give me skills and talents to make a living from, but they are for His glory, not mine, I must use them for Him first, whenever and wherever He leads me, a living sacrifice.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Romans 12:1-2.
Jonah went back to Nineveh, what would have taken a three day journey only took a day led by God. Jonah spoke to the king, and right away he responded.
“For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” – Jonah 3:6-10.
“And God saw their works,” Repent, to sorrow or be pained for sin, the people of Nineveh saw their sin and turned to God for their salvation. It was not their acts that saved them, but their turn to God that saved them. Until we understand that we are all sinners we will never understand the grace of God to save anyone regardless of their past.
“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” – Romans 3:21-24.
Jonah became the greatest evangelist of his day and saw the entire city of Nineveh get saved, but he like many of us wonder why God has mercy on some of the most ruthless people. Jonah, still angered over the fact that God would save a heathen nation, could not understand why God spared them when they would just go back to their wicked ways. To illustrate, God’s mercy for all, He used a giant squash that He had grown near him.
“And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle” – Jonah 4:6-11.
“And should not I spare Nineveh,” People are more precious to God than anything else He created and He wants all, not just some, all to acknowledge Him and get saved. God does not want to see any person die and end up in hell, that is why He sent Jesus. One other thing we need to understand is that we are to preach the Gospel to all, it does not matter if we like the person or not, if God calls us to tell them how to be saved He will not stop bugging us until we do. It is not our decision who to tell the Gospel to, it is God’s, and no, He does not pick and choose who gets saved, but He does give all an opportunity through His Son.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” – John 3:16-18.
Jesus Christ Magnified: The Gospel of Jesus is a reflection of Jonah being in the belly of the whale for three nights and days.
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for becoming the ultimate sacrifice that would redeem my soul forever, I do not have to do anything to earn my salvation because You paid the price for me. Lord, I do not always understand Your plan for me, but I do understand that You will not let me rest until I follow through. Lead me and guide me, show me where You want me to be, let me not wander or even try to escape Your will, and help me to be the living sacrifice You want me to be. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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