Concerned

Jonah 4:11 (NIV)

Should I not be concerned about that great city?

God is most concerned about those we spurn and reject. This verse is in the story of Jonah when the prophet was so mad at God's mercy that he wanted to die. Jonah rebelled against God's call and was almost destroyed by the storm (Jonah 1:4-12). There lies a moral for all of us: those who rebel against God and resist His will always end in damnation. Sometimes, as in the case of Jonah, God will create calamities to bring us to repentance. But some, like Judas, hang themselves instead of repenting like Jonah.

Contrary to popular belief, God Almighty did not provide the whale to swallow Jonah immediately. Instead, Jonah drowned, sank to the ocean's bottom, and was trapped in seaweed (Jonah 2:5-6). He was suffocating to death (Jonah 2:7) before God provided the whale to swallow him. God allows us to suffer the consequences of our sin and rebellion before rescuing us.

Despite all this suffering, Jonah had no ounce of love in his heart. Nineveh was a major metropolis in the ancient world. Yet, the ignorance and stupidity of those people was appalling. For all their wealth and splendor, those pagans were living in incest and debauchery and sacrificing their children. Is America in such a situation today? We have men who long to be women and likewise. Children are taught that it is OK to feel lust for their gender. Should the Lord be concerned about the stupidity and ignorance of these people? Or, like Jonah, should we sulk that God may grant these heathen repentance instead of destroying them?

Let us call out the sin of such people and those who legalize such immorality while being concerned for their souls.