Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
Jonah 1:4-5
4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.
4 But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. 5 Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.
Commentary:
1:4–16 Jonah and the Pagan Sailors. This episode highlights Jonah’s encounter with pagan sailors and raises the question, Who fears the Lord—Jonah or the pagans? The key repeated word is “fear”: at the beginning and end the sailors “fear” (vv. 5, 16); in the middle Jonah claims to “fear” the Lord (v. 9) while the sailors actually fear (v. 10a).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1687.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1687.
Questions:
Jonah probably viewed his decision to run from God as personal and private. He bought a ticket, boarded a ship, and tried to disappear below deck. But his disobedience didn’t stay contained to him. The sailors lost cargo, lost peace, and nearly lost their lives because one man chose to resist God. Sin never stays contained, there will always be collateral damage.
- In what ways can compromise slowly become “normal” before we realize the impact it’s having on the people around us?
- How might your attitudes, choices, or spiritual condition be affecting the people around you right now?
- Just as disobedience creates ripple effects, obedience does too. What could change in the lives of the people closest to you if you fully trusted God and walked in greater humility, consistency, repentance, and obedience?
Prayer Topics:
- That God would help you recognize how your spiritual life impacts the people around you.
- That God would give you wisdom and humility to address areas of pride, passivity, or compromise.
- That your obedience to God would bring peace, strength, and stability to your relationships and home.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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