2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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WHAT IS THE BOOK OF JONAH ABOUT?
SEP 12
Jonah 3-4
Memorise Jonah 2:9 "Salvation is of the Lord"
WHAT IS THE BOOK OF JONAH ABOUT?
We all know the story of Jonah and the big fish. It is a common story that we have all heard countless of times. However, have we really read the book in detail? Have we really asked what lessons God wants us to learn from this book?
Of all the Minor Prophets, the book of Jonah is probably the easiest to understand, and most commonly preached from. The basic storyline is easy to follow, as it is about the prophet Jonah who tried to flee from doing God’s will, but was strictly chastised by God through a huge storm, being cast overboard and swallowed by a big fish. In the midst of his suffering, he prayed to God for deliverance, and God answered. Thereafter, he obeyed the Lord, went to Nineveh and preached judgment unto them. However, we see that his obedience was but in word and not in spirit, for he was sorely displeased with the result of his preaching. The whole city actually repented, and God’s judgment was withheld. In response, he left the city in a fit of anger, and asked the Lord to take his life from him, and let him die.
Behind these events, there are lessons that we can learn from this rather simple story. We see that indeed salvation is of the Lord. It is not up to us to decide, and neither should we be caught up in our prejudices and biases. It is entirely God’s prerogative as to who He would save. Whoever He wants to save will certainly be saved. Whosoever will repent and turn to God will certainly receive His eternal salvation. It is the free gift of God and solely His doing. He is the God of the whole world, and not just of ‘good people’ who we think deserve salvation. None of us deserve salvation, and it is not our right to be upset and angry if God saves someone else who we think is too bad a sinner to be saved.
Jonah’s sin is not just that he tried to run away from God’s calling, but was more with regard to his hatred for the Assyrians. He hated them so much that he refused to bring the gospel to them. Even when they repented and became fellow children of God, he was still so filled with hatred that God had to teach him a lesson to help him realize that God’s mercy and grace was to all, and not just the Jews.
Thought: My salvation is purely from the mercy and grace of God.
Prayer: Lord, may I never be prejudiced against anyone, but always be ready and willing to share the good news of salvation to all.
Posted in Teens RPG
Jonah 3-4
Memorise Jonah 2:9 "Salvation is of the Lord"
WHAT IS THE BOOK OF JONAH ABOUT?
We all know the story of Jonah and the big fish. It is a common story that we have all heard countless of times. However, have we really read the book in detail? Have we really asked what lessons God wants us to learn from this book?
Of all the Minor Prophets, the book of Jonah is probably the easiest to understand, and most commonly preached from. The basic storyline is easy to follow, as it is about the prophet Jonah who tried to flee from doing God’s will, but was strictly chastised by God through a huge storm, being cast overboard and swallowed by a big fish. In the midst of his suffering, he prayed to God for deliverance, and God answered. Thereafter, he obeyed the Lord, went to Nineveh and preached judgment unto them. However, we see that his obedience was but in word and not in spirit, for he was sorely displeased with the result of his preaching. The whole city actually repented, and God’s judgment was withheld. In response, he left the city in a fit of anger, and asked the Lord to take his life from him, and let him die.
Behind these events, there are lessons that we can learn from this rather simple story. We see that indeed salvation is of the Lord. It is not up to us to decide, and neither should we be caught up in our prejudices and biases. It is entirely God’s prerogative as to who He would save. Whoever He wants to save will certainly be saved. Whosoever will repent and turn to God will certainly receive His eternal salvation. It is the free gift of God and solely His doing. He is the God of the whole world, and not just of ‘good people’ who we think deserve salvation. None of us deserve salvation, and it is not our right to be upset and angry if God saves someone else who we think is too bad a sinner to be saved.
Jonah’s sin is not just that he tried to run away from God’s calling, but was more with regard to his hatred for the Assyrians. He hated them so much that he refused to bring the gospel to them. Even when they repented and became fellow children of God, he was still so filled with hatred that God had to teach him a lesson to help him realize that God’s mercy and grace was to all, and not just the Jews.
Thought: My salvation is purely from the mercy and grace of God.
Prayer: Lord, may I never be prejudiced against anyone, but always be ready and willing to share the good news of salvation to all.
Posted in Teens RPG