Jonah 1:1-3

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.

Jonah was an Israelite prophet. He was a believer. He was proud of his people, his nation, and his God. He also did NOT want to share the Word of God with the people of Nineveh. They were unbelievers. They were Gentiles, not Jews. They were evil. Why would God want his Word preached to them? Why would God command him to do that? And because he disagreed with God, he ran away from God.

But Jonah was asking the wrong question.

The real question is, “Why would God want his Word preached to any of us?”

When the question is framed that way, well then it adds a whole new dimension to God’s grace and the salvation we’ve received.

The truth is nobody deserves God’s grace. Nobody has earned it. Instead, we’ve all done everything possible not to earn or deserve it. And yet, here we are today, believers in the Lord in spite of all that. The salvation we have from God is a pure gift, completely, and totally undeserved. Salvation is also not just for a few. It’s for all and that message needs to get out.

God eventually brought Jonah to that understanding. He took the Word to the Ninevites and they were saved. Praise the Lord for his unrelenting love for Jonah.

What about us? What people do we think are not worthy of God’s salvation? What groups will we not share the gospel with? What times have you said “No” to God’s command to spread the Word to all?

Dear friend, loved unconditionally by God, shake off that Jonah attitude and take the Word out. All need to hear it and believe it.