Running From Nineveh

Why was Jonah running from Nineveh? Was it because he did not want to be involved in ministry? No, it was because he did not want to be involved in ministry in Nineveh. His hatred for the Assyrians was so extreme that he did not want to go there for fear they would repent and not receive the destruction he felt they deserved. What a callous heart filled with hate Jonah had! Why would God choose someone like that to reach them? Perhaps it took someone like Jonah, filled with obvious prejudices to reach the hardened, wicked people of Nineveh. I think God’s choice of Jonah had more to do with what He was trying to do in Jonah’s heart rather than the Assyrians. People run from God all the time. Why was Jonah singled out to be retrieved by such extreme measures? I think it had to do with the brazen disregard for God’s will. Jonah could have been used anywhere, but God wanted him in Nineveh. Jonah knew that but because of his extreme prejudice chose a different path. Thus the whale to get his attention.

God’s desire for Jonah is the same as it is for the rest of us. He desires us to follow Him regardless of our desires, prejudices or common sense. What kind of arrogance do we have to possess to tell the sovereign God of the universe that we somehow no better as to how we should reach the world? Before we throw Jonah under the whale we need to examine God’s calling on our own lives. Here are 5 questions to consider:

• Has He called us to go somewhere or do something that we have diverted our attention away from?
• Have we settled for playing church instead of being the church to a lost and dying world?
• Have we substituted religious activity for following the will of God? (Where is your Nineveh?)
• What will God have to do to get your attention to follow Him?
• What will be the fate of the people you choose not to reach with the message of salvation?

Stepping on the Serpent

One afternoon a while back I took a much needed trail run. It was on a narrow dirt trail through a grassy field near my house. It was much needed because I had a lot of stress built up which was in need of an outlet. As I ran I pondered the problems facing me. I was irritated with some of the things that were happening around me. I tried to rationalize solutions to these issues and how I wanted to respond to people who were causing the “problems”. I was mixing this “rationalizing” with prayer, asking God how I should deal with these things. Toward the end of my run, the Lord began speaking to me about these issues. To be fair, He had probably been speaking all along, but my ranting was drowning out the still, small voice. He reminded me to look at these things for what they were: distractions placed in my way by Satan.

Not 30 seconds later something happened that made my whole body tremble. I nearly stepped on a rattlesnake in the middle of the trail! It was about 2 feet long. I missed stepping on it by about the same distance. Upon seeing the snake, I jumped off the path. The snake seemed just as startled. It darted off into the grass, thankfully in the opposite direction of me. I stopped running and stood there for a moment. There could not have been a clearer picture of how Satan seeks to take us off the narrow path of following God.

Satan will try to distract us by creating problems all around us to confuse us, discourage us, distract us, and frustrate us. Too often believers are prevented from accomplishing great things for the kingdom because they are lured by the distractions Satan places along the way. Romans 16:20 reminds us that: The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. James 4:7 reminds us to: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Don’t be distracted by the schemes of Satan. Recognize them for what they are, and keep moving on down the narrow path following God.

There is Always Hope

Yesterday I had a clerk at the deli strike up a conversation about a shirt I was wearing. It led to a discussion of Zimbabwe. I told here of the deplorable condition of their country, the world-record inflation, the cholera epidemic, and the lack of basic food and supplies. I communicated to her that most people in America cannot even imagine the level of poverty in Zimbabwe right now. Then she asked me a haunting question. “Is there any hope for them?”

Is there any hope? The political answer would be: yes, but only with a regime change and massive assistance from the outside to revive their economy. But this is not the answer that came to mind. Yes there is hope, but it will not come from the opposition government or the United Nations, or the African Union. Their hope will only be found in turning to Jesus. Their hunger, inflation, shortage of goods and food can be fixed by human methods, but this does nothing for their greater problem. Zimbabwe’s greatest need is the same as the greatest need of people in Mongolia, or Columbia, or Slovenia, or the United States. They need a savior. Is there any hope for them? Yes. Is there any hope for us? Yes. But it will not be found in a leader, an army, or a philosophy. It will only be found in Christ Jesus. In Him there is hope.
“For you are my hope, O Lord God…” Psalm 71:5