Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
Jonah 4:1-4
This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 2 So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. 3 Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
4 The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 2 So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. 3 Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
4 The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
Commentary:
4:2 This is Jonah’s second prayer; the repetition of prayed to the LORD (see 2:1) invites the reader to compare the two. gracious God … relenting from disaster. These same words occur in Joel 2:13 as the basis for hope (see Ex. 34:6–7; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 145:8). Ironically, this standard confession of the compassionate character of God is the root of Jonah’s anger. Steadfast love, when extended to Jonah, filled him with thanksgiving (Jonah 2:8), but when extended to the Ninevites, filled him with anger.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1690.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1690.
Questions:
Jonah finally revealed why he ran from God in the first place: he knew God might forgive Nineveh. Jonah loved God's grace when it rescued him from drowning and the belly of the fish, but he hated that same grace when it was given to others.
Many of us struggle with this same exact thing. We gladly receive God's forgiveness, patience, and kindness, yet we can become reluctant to extend those same gifts to people who hurt us. God's grace was never intended to stop with us. We are called to be conduits of grace, receiving it from Him and passing it on to others. The gospel changes us when we move from simply enjoying grace to actively giving it away.
Many of us struggle with this same exact thing. We gladly receive God's forgiveness, patience, and kindness, yet we can become reluctant to extend those same gifts to people who hurt us. God's grace was never intended to stop with us. We are called to be conduits of grace, receiving it from Him and passing it on to others. The gospel changes us when we move from simply enjoying grace to actively giving it away.
- Think about the people in your life who frustrate, hurt, disappoint, or oppose you. Who is the hardest person for you to show grace toward right now, and why? What emotions surface when you think about extending kindness or compassion to that person?
- What does God's willingness to show grace to sinners teach us about His heart and His mission? How does the story of Jonah challenge the idea that God's grace is only for certain types of people? What does it reveal about God's desire to save people who seem least deserving?
- Have you been expecting God to continue showing patience, forgiveness, and grace toward your failures while refusing to extend those same gifts to someone else? What specific step could you take this week to reflect the grace that God has already shown you?
Prayer Topics:
- Ask God to help you see difficult people through His eyes.
- Thank Him for the undeserved grace He has shown you.
- Pray for the courage to extend grace to someone who has not earned it.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?
Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
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