TEXT:

‘Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh”… but Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord’ (Jonah 1:1, 3).

As I was reading in the book of Jonah, that he didn’t want to obey God and go to Nineveh, I wondered why God didn’t just get somebody else to go instead. After all, the saying goes, “One volunteer is worth more than ten pressed men!” As I thought about this, several key things came to light and these form the basis for Today’s Teaching.

1. God does not like us saying “NO” to Him – ‘Obedience is better than sacrifice’ (1 Samuel 15:22).

When we refuse to go, it’s saying to God, “You really do not know what you are doing by asking me!” When Moses replied, ‘Please, Lord, send someone else’ (Exodus 4:13 TLB), God got angry with him. The Bible says, ‘Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?’ (Hebrews 12:9 ESV).

Say “No” to sin and Satan’s temptations, but say “Yes” to God. Obedience was what made David special to God, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do’ (Acts 13:22 NLT).  

2. Sometimes God does not have anyone else He can send – ‘He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor’ (Isaiah 59:16).

When God chose Noah to start re-populating the earth, He had no one else to choose from. You may be God’s first choice, and you may be God’s only choice! He created you for this very purpose. When Elijah said, ‘I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too’ (1 Kings 19:14 NLT), God replied, ‘I still have 7,000 people in Israel whose knees have not knelt to worship Baal’ (GWT). When Moses told God to send someone else, God made it very clear that Moses was His first and only choice.

The famous saying, “If not us, who? If not now, when?” challenges us to respond  to God’s call. To be like Mary who said, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true’ (Luke 1:38 NLT).

Say out loud to yourself, “I am God’s first choice. I will obey and go!”

3. To be used by God is the greatest honour anyone can have

Why do I call it the “Greatest”?

• It has the greatest impact

What we do in obedience to God’s will, can last for all eternity.

• It has the greatest reward

Just as we should leave vengeance to God, and not try to avenge ourselves, so we can leave the reward to God too. Jesus said, ‘Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work’ (Revelation 22:12).

• It is the greatest privilege

It’s not a ruler or king asking you, but the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Jesus said, ‘Without Me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5). It’s easier to believe that, than to believe that without us nothing much will get done, because God has chosen to do it this way, through the frailty of human beings!

4. God uses you because He loves other people, especially the unlovely

There was no love lost between  Israel and Assyria. Jonah didn’t love the Ninevites, quite the reverse. He was probably the only successful evangelist not happy with the fruit of his preaching!

God wants His love in our hearts to be the motivating force, then we will find it easier to go, to love, to forgive and to have mercy. ‘We’re not ashamed to have this confidence, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us’ (Romans 5:5 GWT).

God had to use a plant and a worm to ensure Jonah got the message and understand why God wanted the Ninevites to respond and repent.

5. Only eternity will show the extent of your obedience – ‘For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do’ (Hebrews 6:10 NLT).

There will be many, whose secret obedience will be rewarded openly. All life’s work will be evaluated by God’s refining fire. The wood, hay and stubble will all burn, leaving gold, silver and precious stones hidden in the ashes. The cost of obedience will be repaid many times over, just as Jesus promised, ‘Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life’ (Matthew 19:29 NLT).

If we do things, such as giving, praying and fasting to be seen by others, then all we get is the reward of being seen. If we don’t do it to be seen or to get a reward, God will ensure we receive one by the Father rewarding us openly! In the parable of the Minas, obedience that produced increase was rewarded far beyond what was justifiable. The one who had produced ten minas even got the one mina from the one who had done nothing! (See Luke 19:11-27).

Finally, is there something God is wanting you to do, but you have not yet responded to His call? Remember, you may be His only choice. Submit to His will, for you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.