15/05/2011 - Those who aren’t obedient will fall

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“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” (Jonah 1:1-2)
Jonah received one of the greatest privileges someone can be given: he heard the Word of God. Yet, he tried to run away from the divine command when he received it, and he sinned at least six times in that journey. However, he repented and cried out for deliverance from that fish’s belly and was heard (Jonah 2:2). Only then did he decide to obey God and was successful.
There’s no greater blessing than to understand the will of God for us. The evening I first heard about the Gospel I made the right decision because I understood that the Lord, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth, this wonderful Being, was calling me to join His people. It’s been more than five decades and a half now and I’m still amazed by the feeling I had that evening at the early age of six.
As for Jonah, his big mistake was to run away from what God had told him, which is the very Word of life. He had been commissioned by the Word to be a blessing to his generation. The Lord still speaks to you and many others today likewise; yet, some make the same mistake Jonah did: they run away from God’s plan.
My brethren, you should never turn your back to the divine commandment. The mission He gives us is the best thing that can ever happen to us because those who fulfil the command of the Lord will undoubtedly be successful and highly rewarded. Our Father doesn’t relate to us as a taskmaster. He says that those who leave anything for His sake and for the Gospel’s sake will receive a hundredfold as much and they’ll inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29). There’s no human investment to be compared to the reward in store for us (Colossians 3:24; I Corinthians 2:9; James 1:12).
By being sadly and insensibly disobedient, Jonah erred at least six times: when he went down to Joppa (Jonah 1:3); when going to the harbor (Jonah 1:3); as he was getting into the ship (Jonah 1:15,
2.6) and when he found himself in the belly of that fish (Jonah 1:17). The bad news is that he could’ve gotten lost forever. Those who run away from God don’t know the risk they’re taking: nobody will be able to save them if they die while they’re running from Him. The best thing to do is to fulfil the Lord’s plan. We’ll never be forsaken or unprotected as long as we’re doing His will.
The truth is that the Most High always calls us to progress. He feels no pleasure in taking anything from us; on the contrary, He rejoices when He adds something to our existence. Jesus said: “I came for you to live an abundant life” (John 10:10b). Those who flee from God’s presence are headed towards misery and suffering (Psalm 139:7). We’ll always do wonders with God (Psalm 60:12), so choose to be obedient to Him!
The positive lesson we learn from that biblical passage is that Jonah, while inside that fish, decided to cry out for deliverance and he was heard. After being vomited onto dry land, he walked towards the city where the Lord had sent him and did what he was told (Jonah 2). Surprised, that prophet saw the whole city of Nineveh being converted to God (Jonah 3:4-10). Faithful servants will be surprised to see how blessed they’ll be by God.
Jonah was successful for being obedient to the Most High and so will you. So, fulfil the mission assigned to you and then you’ll see that God honors all those blessed promises made to those who subject to Him. To achieve this end, you’ll need to be firm and strong when doing your part in the divine plan. The Lord will certainly do His as He promised.
In Christ, with love,
R. R. Soares