“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.”
~ Jonah 1:1-3
REFLECT:
The book of Jonah starts off with a pretty simple request from God to one of His preachers named Jonah. For most preachers, this was a simple task: Just get your stuff ready and travel the 500 miles to Nineveh. Instead of heading to Nineveh, Jonah pays to catch a boat to a city over 2,000 miles away! So not only is Jonah running from God, but he’s actually paying some of his own money to make this happen! Here is the main thought of today’s devotional: When we run from God, there is always a cost. For Jonah, being separated from God was an expected cost as he chose to run; however, financially paying for a boat was a cost he did not see coming. In our lives when we run from God, there is also a cost. These costs can be hurt friendships, a ruined reputation, or even a lowered sense of self-worth. With this in mind when you feel the call of God on your life, choose obedience! Don’t run away from God and experience the pain of disconnection from God like Jonah did, but rather, embrace God’s call on your life and watch how God uses you to build His Kingdom.
PRAYER:
God thank you for the reminding me that running from you always comes with cost. Today, I choose obedience to you over the things that I want to do. Thank you for always forgiving me when I have chosen to walk away from you. I love you Lord, and in Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.