Jonah 1:1-3 1Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil[a] has come up before me." 3But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
There are times in our lives when the Lord will lead us in a very specific direction. It may be to work harder on our marriage, to make a career change, to speak to someone about spiritual things, to stand for Him even if we're alone. We have opportunities every day to "Rise Up and Go". At those times, we always have a choice of how to respond. Jonah was told to rise up and go to Nineveh. His response was to go the exact opposite direction. His prejudice against the people of Nineveh kept him from moving forward and following God. Jonah was afraid that the people of Nineveh would actually repent and turn to God.
Before we judge Jonah for what seems to be a VERY WRONG decision. Let's look at our own lives. We make choices everyday to follow what we want instead of what God wants because we let our fear win. We're afraid of being "That Christian", of being different than our friends, of standing alone, of being rejected. We let our fear drive our lives and as a result move further away from the presence of the Lord in our lives.
What would change in your life if you began moving forward in the direction He has planned for you? What can you do today that would move you towards your "Nineveh" in your life?
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