Old Testament Scripture Reading: Jonah 1:1 – 3 (KJV)
Jon 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Jon 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
Jon 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
New Testament Scripture Reading: 1John 2:15 – 17 (KJV)
1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
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Transforming Power Statements:
1) Jonah the prophet provides a classic view of the futility of going against the clear will of God, and shows us that the actual will of God for our lives will certainly be done one way or another, and that ultimately we will find our greatest success through walking with God rather than against Him.
2) We must be cautious with becoming entangled with worldly affairs, especially if they are drawing us away from the course which God has told us or we have come to learn through the study of the Word of God how to choose the things that He desires of us, which are sometimes not clearly evident, but are being revealed over a course of time.
3) Giving our lives to Christ guarantees us the most security of any other thing that we can possibly attain in this world, and offers us the reality that God’s way may not be easy; but it is the best!