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"Jonah was very happy about the vine" (Jonah 4:6).
Today I consider how easy it is to be petty about so many issues in life and as result of that misplace our priorities. Consider that so much of what concerns us on a day by day basis is really not a "big deal". Spending several days visiting a loved one in an intensive care unit and seeing the needs of others can sure give you a perspective jolt.
Jonah is such an interesting character. In the four brief chapters that describe him in the Scriptures we read of fear, prejudice, delayed obedience and repentance. Bu there's an observation I make today that may seem disrespectful of a Bible character, but it's clearly seen in the text; his pettiness and misplaced priorities. For the daily text I purposefully selected just a portion of chapter 4. I encourage you to read the entire chapter (or the entire short book for that matter!) *
Essentially after God's call and his initial fleeing to Tarsus and his adventure in the belly of the whale, Jonah has a remarkable preaching experience to the residents of Ninevah. His message was hardly one of encouragement as it is summed up in the phrase, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned."
But the Ninevites believed God and repented as a result of Jonah's preaching. "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened" (3:10). What a cause for great rejoicing! How many preachers have had an altar call with a 100% response?
"But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry" (4:1). He camped outside the city and waited for the judgment that he still hoped would come! God graciously provided a vine to shade Jonah as he sat and stewed and this shade made Jonah "very happy." The next several verses chronicle an interchange between God and Jonah that graphically illustrates Jonah's pettiness and misplaced priorities.
God had allowed a worm to destroy the vine that shaded Jonah and Jonah lapsed into incredible pettiness over this and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" "I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die." These are the final words spoken by Jonah.
But God has the final word and it's been described as among the greatest missionary expressions of the whole Bible. "But the LORD said, 'You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?'" (Jonah 4:10,11).
What about us today? What are we so concerned about? Well, although I've never been as upset as Jonah about a vine I sure realize how often I can slip into pettiness and misplaced priorities. Today, I want to concentrate on what really matters. As I do so I am aware of all the enticements that seek to lure me from the central focus of fervently serving the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord help us all!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen C. Weber
Brooksyne's prayer - "Jesus, You are well-acquainted with my weaknesses and the condition of my heart. You know that I am often more concerned about my own comfort and my daily schedule than the needs of those around me. I know I can't save the entire world, but I can listen to Your still small voice as You place individuals upon my heart. Show me ways that I can make a difference. May the character of my life reflect the heart of Christ as I reach out to others in love and in obedience to Your calling upon my life. In the name of Jesus, Amen."
* Here's an online reading of Jonah.
Update on Stephen's Mom – Mom continues to recover in the ICU at Hershey Medical Center. Her nights have been quite difficult and she is dealing with some state of confusion. We hope to hear results from some tests done on Thursday concerning her lung condition in the next day or so. Thank you so much for your ongoing prayers and kind expressions of care.
My Mom with her daughter Genelle and great
grand-grandson Scottie taken two weeks ago at our family reunion in
Oklahoma.
Monday,
August 29, 2005
"Pettiness and Misplaced Priorities"
"Pettiness and Misplaced Priorities"
"Jonah was very happy about the vine" (Jonah 4:6).
Today I consider how easy it is to be petty about so many issues in life and as result of that misplace our priorities. Consider that so much of what concerns us on a day by day basis is really not a "big deal". Spending several days visiting a loved one in an intensive care unit and seeing the needs of others can sure give you a perspective jolt.
Jonah is such an interesting character. In the four brief chapters that describe him in the Scriptures we read of fear, prejudice, delayed obedience and repentance. Bu there's an observation I make today that may seem disrespectful of a Bible character, but it's clearly seen in the text; his pettiness and misplaced priorities. For the daily text I purposefully selected just a portion of chapter 4. I encourage you to read the entire chapter (or the entire short book for that matter!) *
Essentially after God's call and his initial fleeing to Tarsus and his adventure in the belly of the whale, Jonah has a remarkable preaching experience to the residents of Ninevah. His message was hardly one of encouragement as it is summed up in the phrase, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned."
But the Ninevites believed God and repented as a result of Jonah's preaching. "When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened" (3:10). What a cause for great rejoicing! How many preachers have had an altar call with a 100% response?
"But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry" (4:1). He camped outside the city and waited for the judgment that he still hoped would come! God graciously provided a vine to shade Jonah as he sat and stewed and this shade made Jonah "very happy." The next several verses chronicle an interchange between God and Jonah that graphically illustrates Jonah's pettiness and misplaced priorities.
God had allowed a worm to destroy the vine that shaded Jonah and Jonah lapsed into incredible pettiness over this and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live." But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?" "I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die." These are the final words spoken by Jonah.
But God has the final word and it's been described as among the greatest missionary expressions of the whole Bible. "But the LORD said, 'You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?'" (Jonah 4:10,11).
What about us today? What are we so concerned about? Well, although I've never been as upset as Jonah about a vine I sure realize how often I can slip into pettiness and misplaced priorities. Today, I want to concentrate on what really matters. As I do so I am aware of all the enticements that seek to lure me from the central focus of fervently serving the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord help us all!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen C. Weber
Brooksyne's prayer - "Jesus, You are well-acquainted with my weaknesses and the condition of my heart. You know that I am often more concerned about my own comfort and my daily schedule than the needs of those around me. I know I can't save the entire world, but I can listen to Your still small voice as You place individuals upon my heart. Show me ways that I can make a difference. May the character of my life reflect the heart of Christ as I reach out to others in love and in obedience to Your calling upon my life. In the name of Jesus, Amen."
* Here's an online reading of Jonah.
Update on Stephen's Mom – Mom continues to recover in the ICU at Hershey Medical Center. Her nights have been quite difficult and she is dealing with some state of confusion. We hope to hear results from some tests done on Thursday concerning her lung condition in the next day or so. Thank you so much for your ongoing prayers and kind expressions of care.
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.
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