LAYR	Resenting Disobedience
12.16.2015	Laughing@yourreligion
Jonah 4 Jonah's Anger and the Lord's Compassion 4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,[a] and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?” 5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant[b] and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.[c] So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”   Bible Readings Jonah 4 Hebrews 11:6 Matthew 6:33 Jeremiah 29:11 John 10:10 Psalm 139 Proverbs 3:5-6	Having a Jonah moment…     Have you ever had a Jonah moment, or a season for that matter? A time in life where stuff is just messed up because you were in disobedience with God. In Jonah 4, we find Jonah after the whale had already vomited him out and he went to Ninevah to rebuke the city for turning from the Lord, and the Lord’s anger subsided. Because of this, Jonah became resentful. When I read this I couldn’t help but to ask the Lord – why is he pouting? And the answer I heard the Lord speak to me was – He became resentful. Jonah had disobeyed God and run off to a foreign land, deliberately disobeying direct orders from a King. But our mighty God, instead of having him killed, chose this moment to teach Jonah about his goodness – even when it ended him in the belly of a whale. The people sailing with Jonah on that stormy day remarked – what kind of evil has come upon us? Knowing the character of God – they knew that what was happening was not from the Lord. (Remember John 10:10 – the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy) Jonah in his disobedience brought with him the curse of disobedience, and unfortunately to his sailing crew, upon them as well. Jonah repented, and told them to throw him overboard. In fear of God the sailors didn’t want to commit a murder, they asked of the Lord, threw him overboard and then offered a sacrifice to him. In love, they cast him from their presence and were saved.   Jonah had three days to consider the mess he was in, and then went and delivered the repentance message to Ninevah and they listened immediately. So why was Jonah so bitter and angry? Had he listened to God the first time, he wouldn’t have had to suffer as he did. I see Jonah in this passage as a child who doesn’t listen unless he is forced to, with a sibling also was in disobedience but because of their love for the parent, immediately obeyed and because of it, didn’t get in trouble. But Jonah did, so he resented Ninevah and became hard hearted towards God. Getting to know the true character of God is perhaps one of the most important things a believer can do. To know that he is love, and has all things worked out for our good, and for our prosperity. He is not angry with us unless we are in disobedience to him, and even in our disobedience, he still loves us unconditionally. But like a parent, God won’t give rewards unless we are in obedience. This isn’t something we should become resentful about, it’s a rod to guide and discipline us into wanting to do what is right. Besides, loving others means doing things for them out of love. I suppose Jonah’s story ends in only a few short chapters because I’m willing to bet that God didn’t want to use him for much after he hardened his heart against God. What is it that you may be resenting God for, that wasn’t God’s fault? I pray that you may be able to renew your mind to the goodness of God, the truth of God, and a knowing of whom he is and what he wants for you. It’s never too late to start walking in obedience to him. Faith is the first step to knowing your amazing father in Heaven. He loves and adores you and he aches to reward you with the desires of your heart. “And without faith it is  impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33   Your attitude will determine your blessing!   Thank you God that you are a just and kind father, forgiving, loving, caring. Thank you that you discipline us in love. I pray the Holy Spirit will search me and reveal to me any area in my life that I am in disobedience, or have a hardness or unforgiveness. Renew my heart and mind and open my eyes to see the good that you have planned out for me and give me the strength to walk in obedience. I thank you God that the Holy Spirit speaks to me and I can hear him, I thank you for giving me a sharp discernment to know when I’m making the wrong choices. Help me to resent sin and disobedience and forgive me for my wrongs and restore me to you daddy. Thank you for loving me unconditionally, and for reminding me that I am righteous in your eyes. In Jesus precious name, Amen.
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