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 God’s prophet missed the opportunity to spread the Gospel to the people of Nineveh. Praise the Lord, God still gave him a second chance. When the Lord asked Jonah to go to Niniveh, he instead fled to Tarshish. Yet on his journey, there was a storm that caused his ship to capsize and almost drowned those on board. Jonah realized that all of this happened as a result of him hardening his heart, so he asked the sailors to cast him out to sea. However, the Lord was always with Jonah, and allowed a big fish to swallow him and let him stay in the fish’s belly for 3 days. Inside the fish’s belly he repented and was ready to return back to Nineveh. Why did Jonah almost miss this golden opportunity to evangelize? Because he lacked compassion over the people of Nineveh. He was not ready for Niniveh to repent and escape all of it’s disaster. He knew that if he preaches the Gospel, Niniveh would repent and that the Lord would help them escape all disaster. He was not willing for that to happen, because in his eyes, the people of Nineveh were wicked and worthy of punishment. Through today’s devotional, we learn that a heart with no compassion for the souls will be the main barrier in us evangelizing.
Remove your uncaring heart, and ask the Lord for compassion and start to look at your surroundings as harvest fields.
Daily Action :
Today I will build a relationship with the people on my VIP prayer list, by giving them attention and doing good to them.
Daily Declaration :
John 15 : 12 : This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Daily Prayer :
I will continue to pray and ask the Lord to pour out His spirit of compassion, so I can persistently intercede for my VIP prayer list.
DAILY BIBLE READING: 1 CHRONICLES 1-3