Jonah 4

Scripture Reading:  Read Jonah Chapter 4. 

Evangelism Gone Wrong:

Jonah 4:3-4 – “Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”(NIV)

Jonah could very easily be known as the pouting prophet.  If we remember Chapter One, we’ll not forget that Jonah’s hatred for the Ninevites was most likely justified.  They were brutal people, and there is a good chance that Jonah had some personal experience with their brutality.  Jonah clearly did not want God to be merciful to these people. 

Listen to this different translation of God’s response to Jonah in verse four: “Is doing good displeasing to you?”  (Dr. G. Douglas Young)

God desires to save people from their sins, even those we don’t particularly want in our church.  Of course, we’d probably never respond with the honesty that Jonah responds with.  But if you’ve had someone treat you or your family wrong, you might be able to connect a little with Jonah here. 

The truth is, there will be people that are difficult for us to love.  But we don’t love them because they’re easy to love; we ought to love them because God loves them.  As the Lord brings all kinds of people across our paths, we must trust the Lord and His desire to reach those people somehow, even if we’d rather ignore them.   

Prayer: Lord, help us to love people the way you love them. Fill me with your spirit today so that I have a deep capacity for love.  It's through your spirit that we can find the strength and courage to love those who are difficult for us.