Jonah 1:1-3

Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. This is a strange beginning for the book of Jonah. We are told nothing about Jonah before God called him to go to Nineveh. Did Jonah volunteer to go to Nineveh? No, he did not. Was Jonah a preacher or a prophet before this call to go to Nineveh? We don’t know. The Bible doesn’t say. What preparation did Jonah have for this mission that God called him to? We have no record. It seems like God just called Jonah right out of the blue to go on a difficult mission. But God called and Jonah obeyed ... or did he? No, he did not. God called Jonah to preach to a very wicked city> Jonah may have thought, “Will they listen to me? Will they become angry at my bold preaching? Will they kill me?” And although Jonah was scared, God had called him to do an important job. And when God calls you, God will go with you and take care of you. But Jonah would have nothing to do with it. Nineveh was east and Jonah bought a ticket to go west. Actually, Tarshish was as far west as anyone could go at that time. Like Jonah, has God called you to do something special for Him? Actually, He has. God has called you to be a good Christian testimony for Him. God has called you to pray and to read your Bible. And there are many more things that God has called you to do. Can you list some of them?