Daily Direction Reading PlanSample

Two pre-teens broke into a home and caused $30,000 worth of damage. Instead of taking legal action, the owner let them write 1,000 times, "I will not vandalize other people's property." Did the punishment fit the crime? God sent Jonah to tell ancient Nineveh that God was about to destroy their city because of their horrible crimes. Jonah disliked the people so much that he fled in the opposite direction to keep from warning them of the coming destruction. He hoped by going in the opposite direction he could get away from the Lord. God sent a great terrible storm to rock the ship. The sailors tried to control the ship but could not. They finally threw Jonah overboard. Despite some critics' belief that this story is not history, we know God prepared a fish to preserve Jonah. While he was in the fish's belly, he changed his mind about running from God. Three days later, God caused the fish to spit him out and gave him the same message as before. This time he did not hesitate. As he reached Nineveh, he shouted God's message that people should repent or perish. The city repented, and God did not destroy it. Jonah thought God was too easy—that God's actions did not fit the crime. But Jonah can be a lesson for all of us. When God sends us on a mission to our friends, families, or community, we should obey; God may be using us to spare tragedy for someone else.