Jonah 1:12
12And he said to them, "Pick me
up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For
I know that this great tempest
is because of me."
Jonah
is a familiar story to many. There are multiple lessons to be drawn
from it. But one of the most important lessons is the impact of one's
rebellion's on others. We live in a society where the "all about me" is
considered not only acceptable but it expected. Jonah decided he would
not do what God had instructed him to do. He figured he could run. Jonah
was on a ship and God caused a storm to develop in the sea. The people
on the ship who did not know God cast lots to see who was the cause and
the lot fell on Jonah. Jonah knew when he had awakened that the storm
was because of his rebellion. Jonah didn't know his rebellion would put
others in danger. So to calm the storm down he told them to throw him
into the sea.
The "me" syndrome and the problems that come
with it really do put others in danger. No one likes to talk about that
but when God shows the way to go and you do not heed, you really do
impact others. Your reach in this world was always designated to be
beyond your immediate self. What is rebellion? Merriam-Webster's
Dictionary defines rebellion as the resistance to authority. Why would
you resist the authority of God who loves you, wants the best for you
and can see the end before the beginning? To be "all about me" and rebel
against the ultimate authority of God will put you in a place where
people want to run from you or throw you overboard to keep from being on
a sinking ship.
No comments:
Post a Comment