How Far Are You Willing To Run?
Jonah 1:1-3
1The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3But 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.
Mileage:
Joppa to Ninevah: 630 miles
Joppa to Tarshish: 2,200 miles
Normal to Asheville, NC: 644 miles
Normal to Seattle, WA: 2,045 miles
- Jonah is very different from other Old Testament books of Prophecy because it is almost entirely narrative and doesn’t contain any long prophetic oracles.
- Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel in the 8th century BC.
- Although we often think of Jonah as being swallowed by a large fish, the theme of this book is rebellion and religious exclusivism.
- In what ways have you tried to convince God that your plan is better than God’s?
- What has it taken or what would it take for you to let go of your agenda and let God lead?
- How far are you willing to go in order to be sure you don’t have to obey God?
- What group(s) of people do you want to stay separated from the loving arm of God?
TODAY'S PREACHER
Debbie Reese is Co-Directing Pastor of Calvary UMC