Don’t Waste Your Story

Friday, March 28



Jonah 2:10; 3:1-3 (NLT)
“Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach. Then the LORD spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.” This time Jonah obeyed the LORD’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all.”
Devotion

Jonah was one of the greatest prophets during the time of Jeroboam II, who reigned from 793 to 752 b.c. God gave Jonah a special assignment to go to Nineveh, one of the largest cities of that time and foretell its destruction, because the evil of its inhabitants had reached the city. Most of the book of Jonah illustrates the frustration of Jonah trying to avoid the assignment given by God. Like Jonah we tend to struggle with God's plan for our lives as well. Jonah finally realizes that disobedience to God's ordinance is not the wisest route to go. He finally repents from his willful stubbornness and prays for God's mercy. God does spare the life of Jonah and drops him off right in front of the shores of his assignment. 

Jonah stepped right into the middle of the busy city to announce that they as a city would perish in forty days. The prophet's solemn warning electrified the city. The residents believed the prophecy and repented. They fasted and wore sackcloth; even the king himself took off his royal robes and put on the garbs of mourning.
Everyone in the city honestly and sincerely decided to abandon their evil past. All the people truly tried to mend their ways. Possessions unjustly acquired were returned to their rightful owners, and false judgments were revised. God saw that they were sincere in their repentance and accepted it. Nineveh was saved.
What can we learn about the prophet Jonah’s story of stubbornness and repentance?
  • Disobedience will Create Turmoil in your Life - Disobedience is a big deal when it comes to God. It has spiritual ramifications that affect both our spiritual life, and daily life.
  • God has no Problem Removing you from your Comfort Zone - If Jonah would have persisted in his disobedience, many lives would have been lost. 
  • You Cannot Run Away from God - Psalms 139:7 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” When God has a plan for our lives, He will be persistent. You can try to hide from His purpose, move, go away, either physically or even internally with your emotions, but it is futile. 
  • Repentance Must Come with a willingness to Obey - Whenever we are in a situation where we have turned our back on God it’s important to know only true repentance can happen when we acknowledge and are willing to go in God’s direction.


Today’s Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in humble repentance, recognizing we do not always know what to do with our calling, we struggle with obedience and giving ourselves fully to Your service, like Jonah we are willful, and stubborn. We plead the blood of Jesus over our lives, we plead for opportunities to right what was done wrong in our lives. Please God, lead us to a straight and narrow path that leads to You. We acknowledge and recognize You as Creator and King in all our ways, help us to be more like Your precious son Jesus who never doubted and willfully followed his destiny for the good of mankind. In the Name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Apply It Today

In today's Devotional we have a common theme, do not waste your story. Jonah struggled with obedience and this could have cost him his life and the lives of many others. The purpose of Jonah’s prophecy is to show the sovereignty of God at work in the life of an individual (the prophet Jonah), and His concern for a heathen nation (Assyria). The prophecy also shows, in an oblique way, His concern for His own people and that the way to avert national catastrophe is a consecrated missionary effort toward all people. Let us focus today’s meditation on any lost opportunities we can identify in our lives. Only in recognizing we have not always been obedient to God's calling for our lives, can we truly heal. God is all loving, merciful and compassionate towards His children, those who struggle with understanding their purpose.

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