Daily Verses : Jonah 1, Jonah 3 : 10 – 4 : 2
Key Verse : Jonah 4 : 2 : …Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.
Jonah, as a prophet of the Lord, nearly missed out on an opportunity to spread the Gospel to the people of Nineveh. Praise the Lord that He still provided Jonah with a second opportunity to do so. When the Lord commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah ran in the opposite direction to Tarshish. In the middle of his journey, a giant storm came and nearly capsized the ship that was holding Jonah. Understanding that this occurred due to the hardness of his heart, Jonah told the people on the ship to throw him overboard in the sea. The Lord however was still with him, allowing a giant fish to come and swallow him, storing him in its stomach for three days. In the fish’s stomach, Jonah repented and committed himself to returning to Nineveh. Why did Jonah nearly lose a golden opportunity to share the gospel in his life? Because he did not have compassion for the people of Nineveh. He was not willing to let the people of Nineveh escape from calamity as a result of their repentance. He knew that if he shared the gospel with them, Nineveh would surely repent so that the Lord would keep them from the calamity that He was originally going to bring upon them. He was not willing to let that happen, because in his point of view, the people of Nineveh were evil and deserving of judgment. Today we learn that in order to receive the visitation of the Lord, our hearts must be clean of all hatred. Our hearts must be filled with compassion for others, allowing us to forgive others easily.
Distance your heart from hatred, bitterness, envy, and resentment if you want to receive a great visitation from the Lord.
Daily Action :
Today I will pray that the Lord fill my heart with His love so that I can love others, even those who may have hurt my heart.
Daily Declaration :
John 15 : 12 : This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Daily Prayer :
I will pray for the Lord’s visitation that will happen in Sunday’s service.
DAILY BIBLE READING: DEUTERONOMY 21-24