Temitope Owokole:
Greetings to you all greatly beloved of God and welcome to another episode of our study of the Scriptures. We bless the name of the Lord God for His many blessings over us. Praise be to God!
In our today’s episode 618, we shall be concluding Chapter 4 of the book of Jonah titled:
Ministry 101: Jonah Is Taught A Lesson About Love, Mercy and Forgiveness
In our previous post, we learnt about how Jonah was angry because the message he preached to the people of Nineveh led to their conversion and brought forgiveness to them from God.
As a result, the prophesy he proclaimed that in 40 days, they would be destroyed was overturned.
God then told him he had no right to be angry (verse 4).
He should rather be pleased with the people of Nineveh for repenting from their sins. He should express Love, mercy and forgiveness towards them. Recall from our previous studies, we already enumerated some of the reasons Jonah was angry, one of which was because the Ninevites were sworn enemies of Israel.
Also, we could percieve some signs of pride and selfishness in the life of Jonah. Otherwise he would have allowed God to do as He pleases to the Ninevites.
Now, to further teach Jonah a big lesson, God made a plant to grow up over Jonah’s head while he was relaxing under a shade. This plant made Jonah to feel more comfortable and so, he was extremely pleased with the plant. Read verses 5-6
Surprisingly at the breaking of the following day, at God’s permission, a worm attacked the plant, and it died.
Then the sun came out with its full force of heat to the point that it scorched Jonah to the point that he almost fainted. He even wished to die because the pain was too much for him to bear.
God asked him again, “What right do you have to be angry about the plant?”
Jonah answered God: “I have every right to be angry even to the point of death”
Why was Jonah angry again?
Because the plant that grew out of nowhere which served as a shade over his head was suddenly eaten to death by worms.
Right there and then, God got his attension and He quickly passed the message:
If Jonah could so concerned about ordinary plant, how much more human beings created by God?
That was why God stated in Jonah 4:10-11 GNT
The LORD said to him, “This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn’t do anything for it and you didn’t make it grow-yet you feel sorry for it!
[11] How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!”
Wow! What a very powerful lesson for everyone of us.
That drunkard, prostitute, terrorist, etc that sinner that we may think there is no more hope for, you can see now that clearly there is hope for them.
All they need to hear is the Good News that Christ has paid for their sins. We do not need to hate them. We do not need to pray they should fall down and die.
Rathee, let’s pray and continue to pray that they should come to repentance and let’s keep spreading the Good News for them to have the knowledge of what God has done for them in Christ Jesus – price for their sins have been paid in full.
Some people might say but we have prayed for them and preached to them but they refused to change, so we must call God’s judgement on them.
It’s a no no no.
The disciples of Jesus tried that method (when they proposed that they should call down fire from heaven like Elijah did to consume those preventing the Gospel from spreading), but Jesus rebuked them. Those who do that are not led by the Spirit of God.
Luke 9:54-56 GNT
When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” [55] Jesus turned and rebuked them. [56] Then Jesus and his disciples went on to another village.
This is a big lesson for us all.
Let love lead always.
To be continued…stay tuned and stay blessed.
Let’s pray:
I declare that the Love of God will continue to grow big in our hearts so we can love one another the way God wants us to love and may we continually demonstrate the essence of Christ’s revelation through His Word, in Jesus name.
Because of 120,000 innocent children of Nineveh and because of their repentant heart, God prevented them from perishing, I declare God Almighty will use you as an agent of peace, blessings and Salvation for your generation, in Jesus name.
Bible Readings For Today: Malachi Chapter 1 & 2 with Isaiah 54
I call you blessed now and always.
Tuesday December 15, 2020 (DDMI)
