Lessons From JonahSample

Defiance and Acceptance 

When Jonah ran from God, buying a one-way ticket away from Nineveh, he put himself and everyone on that ship in danger. 

Who have you hurt with your defiance of God?

When Jonah sailed away from responsibility, God wouldn’t let him get away with sin. God’s perfect. He can’t let sin go unpunished. If someone is unwilling to confess, God will confront. 

God will not stop coming after you, not to destroy you but to restore you. That happens through confession, admitting failures without excuse. That’s what Jonah finally did. He admitted his guilt, being moved from defiance to acceptance of what he did. 

“‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea,’ he replied, ‘and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.’” Jonah 1:12

God lovingly sends storms when you sin. How is that loving? If He didn’t, you’d march from Him toward hell, so He sends storm after storm to show that path leads to destruction. When you repent, He will relent. 

What are you not confessing? 

Stop running. You can’t outrun God. You can’t outrun His grace. God is pursuing you to save you from yourself and eternal consequences. There’s an ache in your heart to change. Be changed. Be a Jonah. Go from defiance to acceptance in repentance, and watch what God does next!

But that’s tomorrow’s devotion. When Jonah hits the water, God responds. God restores. How? It’s a whale of a tale!