Pastor Josh opens the 6th volume of the Bible Engagement Project with the story of Jonah and the troubled circumstances he found himself in at the end of the book.
Jonah was a man who received a second chance from God and saved an entire city of people from destruction. After running away from God’s calling, being cast into the raging sea and swallowed (and thrown up) by a large fish, Jonah finally preaches to Nineveh. But he has one issue: he doesn’t want them to repent. Jonah wanted the people to continue their wickedness so they would be destroyed. His motives, while being good on the outside, were flawed internally. As we read of his exchange with God, we can see that he got ahead of God’s plan. We, too, can do this and end up frustrated and angry that His plans aren’t working out like we thought they should. Jonah also was corrected in that God provided a leafy plant to grow and give him comfort and took it away just as quickly. God will correct our hearts if He finds that it’s in the wrong spot. The book ends abruptly, without a resolution to Jonah’s story. Like the story’s format, we can find ourselves at a crossroad where the decision to check our hearts or move on with ulterior motives is in front of us!
Scripture References:
Jonah 4
