The book of Jonah is a well known bible story, used widely in Sunday school. If I was to ask you what that story was about, many of would summarise the story as a man being swallowed by a big fish. However, there is so much more to the story than this. In homegroup last year we took our time to study the book of Jonah, specially looking at Jonah and the character of his heart. In fact the structure of the devotionals over next 6 days are taken from the study guides we used by Eric Mason.

In the early verses we read that Jonah in running away for God and the task of going to Nineveh. Jonah hated Assyria, of which Nineveh was a major urban centre, he saw Israel as more deserving of God’s love than Nineveh, he feared how the people would treat him and he refused to love the unlovable. Ultimately, we will find that his disobedience stemmed from fear, namely, fear that God would relent and allow Nineveh to endure in response to their repentance

God calls us to faithful gospel ministry with those He has placed in our midst, which always brings to the surface the issues we hide inside. When that

happens, we are faced with the same decision as Jonah—to obey God’s call to share the gospel with the lost or to turn away to our own preferences.

Who are the “unlovables” in our lives?

What do we reveal about ourselves when we fail to love the “unlovables” in our lives the way God has loved us?

God’s Word is far more than ink on a page. It is living and active and calls us to respond appropriately. Following God requires the right information, but also the correct disposition. In the case of Jonah, he understood his theology well, but he did not put it into practice in a way that honoured God. Instead, he allowed his preferences to rule his response. 

We are prone to the same. God’s Word actively confronts us, and our response demonstrates the contents of our hearts. Many times our response reveals a preference for comfort over ministering to others, let alone our enemies. But God’s compassion extends to people from every tongue, tribe, and nation. 

Pay attention to your life. Be honest about your response. Allow God to diagnose your condition. We serve a gracious God and if our misdeeds are never hidden from Him, neither are our needs (Isa. 40:27).