Jonah 1:4, “But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.”
When I was growing up and going to public school there was a popular rock and roll song titled, “Runnin’ With The Devil”. I wish I did not know that; but, I do. It was very popular too. I guess it was in fashion so to speak back then to live in rebellion against God. This is very sad. Today it is more than in fashion. It is expected. It is the norm. This should not be.
In the book of Jonah we see a prophet that runs from God. Most people know the story. God tells Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and tell them that He said to repent or the city would be destroyed. Jonah knows these people are wicked and I believe he wanted to see God judge their wickedness and/or he was scared and did not want to go for fear of his own life. Either way he was not trusting God like he should. God told him to go and he should have went.
Remember sin will take you farther than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay and it will cost you far more than you want to pay. This is no laughing matter. If you do not go where God tells you He will discipline you and you will wish you had gone. Jonah is a perfect example of that.
Look where it landed Jonah in Jonah 2:1, “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,” if you notice in Jonah 1:17 the Scripture says that Jonah was in the belly of the fish 3 days. What a disgusting place to be. He was in the stomach of the whale with all the food, acid and everything. Imagine the stinch and burning in his nostrils. This is pretty gross I know. If we learn from Jonah to stop running with the devil and keep running with God then my goal here is met.
So, who are you running with? I hope it is God that you are running with and not running away from God. Running with the devil is never worth it. Just ask Jonah.
So, how are you doing?
Today’s reading: Jonah 1, 2, 3; Psalm 29, 59, 89, 149; Proverbs 29