Disobedience to Chaos

Yesterday we learnt that the source of Jonah’s disobedience was his self-righteousness. He disagreed with God’s decisions and wanted no part in this abundant mercy. When we choose to disobey God’s desires and specific instructions there is always – always – a cost to other people. Firstly, the cost of omission. At first the people in Nineveh didn’t get to hear about God’s wrath and so they were none the wiser. They remained as they were. If you have a specific gift that God has given you for the body of Christ, and you don’t share it, part of the cost of your disobedience is that the body will not grow.

In the Body

God’s calling and special gifting to each of us has nothing to do with us. It is for other people. If we are not with other people, how can we bless them with our gift? If God has made us to be a wonderful eye but the eye pops out of the head and rolls off on its own merry way, how can it be useful to the body in guiding it? If you are not actively connected to a group of Christians who are different from you, you will most likely not help them to be built up as Christ’s Body.

The chaos unleashed and Jonah’s arrogance

But there is a greater cost demonstrated in Jonah’s life here. The storm that God unleashed was so great that even the seasoned sailors feared for their lives. They pulled at their hair and frantically prayed to their various gods. They understood this was no normal storm. This was something supernatural, requiring spiritual remedy.

In his arrogance, Jonah went to sleep. He wasn’t bothered by the chaos his decisions unleashed on the crew. Jonah was that self-centered.

Your ministry

God could have chosen another prophet. It would have been easy. A nicer one not prone to angry melodramatic outbursts. But Jonah is a book about God showing His mercy both to groups (the city of Nineveh) and individuals. God gave Jonah an opportunity to repent. Make no mistake, God will do the same for us. It’s not punishment. It’s discipline, it’s conviction, it’s sanctification and it’s good. It’s good for us to learn to be holy as He is holy. It’s good for us to be corrected rather than abandoned when we make wrong choices in our ministry.

Heart Check

Considering yesterday’s reflection, is there anywhere in your ministry that you might have experienced God’s chastening?

How have you responded to the Holy Spirit’s attempt to correct your course?

Think about possible omissions of obedience… For example, perhaps God has called you to something that no one else even knows about but you’ve been reluctant for some reason. If this is true for you, would you be willing to allow God to sanctify the attitude of your heart – starting with some prayer now?