Jonah 4:5-11 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. Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So, Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 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.” 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.” 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. 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?”
Continuing Pastor Obie’s sermon message on the Book of Jonah, chapter Four, he states that our character is critical in life, in family, in business, and in ministry. Our ability may get us to the top, but it is our character that keeps us there. If we want to be successful in life, do not build a life of pleasure, luxury, entertainment, or comforts; but build a life of good godly character. The best character to build is a Christ-like character, as we are on a constant journey to live and love as Jesus did. As Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Not imitators of the next set of secular role models that our fallen world produces. Follow the godly as they follow Christ and God’s character of graciousness, merciful. Slow to anger, abounding Selfin steadfast life and relenting from disaster.
John 14:15, 23 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
Through God’s exercises in our personal character development, we learn that we tend to be selfish. Nine times in chapter four, Jonah says either “I”, “me” or “my”. Being exceedingly self-centered, Jonah was over-concerned with what he desired to make him comfortable and happy. We cannot be God-centered and God-honoring people when we center our heart and life around ourselves. It is not about us; it is about how God wants to use us to bless the world. Sadly, this is the most self-centered generation in all of history – the “selfie generation. When we focus on ourselves, we get in the way and miss the picture that God has for us. Sometimes, we need to just get out the way and let God frame the shots and allow them to unfold. We need to substitute our self-centered living for sacrificial giving. Jesus modeled sacrificial giving, so we should imitate that.
Ephesians 5:2 “Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Be clear that God does not cause all bad things to happen in this fallen world. Jesus said that in this world, we would have trouble and trials, but He also said that if we love Him and are called to His purposes then God works all things for good. God doesn’t waste pain, sadness or heartache. But uses them as a beautiful mosaic in our character development to bring glory to His kingdom. God provides and continues to provide. We must have trust and faith in God to come through. This trust and faith do not come from times of comfort, but from our times of discomfort. Those uncomfortable times when we had no options but to get on our knees and pray. God uses the seasons of discomfort in our lives to build us up. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” In those seasons, stay faithful and strong, leaning into what God is doing in your life because He is preparing us for greater impact and double usefulness in the completed work started in us.
Let’s continue Pastor Obie’s message from the book of Jonah in the next post.
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