Crazy Cool!

Well, I haven't posted in a while. My apologies. Life gets busy at different times of the year and Thanksgiving/Christmas is no different. What, with all the programs going on at church, things getting busy at work and just trying to maintain some sense of sanity, it all adds up quickly!


I don't want to be all cliche and say, in this time coming up of Christmas, let's not forget the real reason. But, I am. Christ. His birth alone is a miracle, but his whole reason for existing on Earth is a greater miracle. Christ came KNOWING he was going to die a painful death, yet He still did it for us. CRAZY! right? Crazy cool!

I recently read through the book of Jonah. Most people know the story as follows....

God calls Jonah to Nineveh. Jonah runs to Tarshish on a boat. Storm comes and the verdict is to toss Jonah overboard. Big fish swallows Jonah. While in said big fish, Jonah prays to God about how he should have obeyed and will from now on. God commands the big fish to vomit Jonah out. Jonah goes to Nineveh to witness and they repent.

Am I right in thinking that is where most of us thinks the story ends. However, there is more to it than that. There is another chapter and half left in the book. Let me tell you about it....Jonah basically says one line..."In 40 days Nineveh will be overthrown." That's literally all he said. But, that's all it took. They then repented and was just hoping God would relent in sending destruction their way (since Jonah gave no further insight). Thankfully, God did relent. You wanna know what is so funny about this? Jonah got mad that God relented!! I mean, really? Turns out that this is the reason Jonah didn't want to go to begin with! He KNEW God was merciful and compassionate and the Ninevites were bad people and Jonah thought he knew what was best and didn't want God to relent from the destruction. So he got mad! So, God, gave him a plant overnight for shade, then took it away overnight. Jonah got mad enough, he wanted to die and God says to Jonah, why are you mad about a plant you did nothing to get...you didn't plant it or care for it. It came and went without your help at all, yet you are more concerned about the plant than you are this people group?

Oddly enough that is where the book of Jonah ends. We don't know Jonah's response. But there are 2 things I take from this. We can learn from Jonah what TO do and what NOT to do...We learn that even though we don't want to do something, we still must obey God. He has a greater plan. Even though we want to go the other direction and not do something, it is our duty to obey God. Then we learn what NOT to do....Jonah went to Nineveh and preached ONE LINE. When we do something, we can't half-way do it. God used that one line to change a town, so just think if we put our all into something, the great things that would come from it.

So, in the season coming up, don't forget the urgency of sharing the gospel and don't half-way do it. Be passionate about it! This is heaven or hell to someone....that is something, as Christians we have to be passionate about!