Answer The Call

Jonah 3:1-2  

"And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the 

second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, 

that great city, and preach unto it the 

reaching that I bid thee." 

     The book of Jonah is a story about repentance. It begins with God calling to Jonah and directing him to the evil city of Nineveh in order to warn them of upcoming destruction if they did not change their ways. The story concludes with the entire city, one of the most evil places on earth, engaging in repentance. The lesson at the beginning and end of the story is that if the evil people of Nineveh could repent, then so can we.

    However, in between the beginning and end of the book is another story. One that focuses primarily on Jonah.  Instead, it is about righteous people running away from God and trying to escape their mission until at last they embrace it. You see, it’s not enough to regret our past mistakes. We also need to take stock of all our lost opportunities. It’s a time to ask ourselves what our calling is in life and if we are, indeed, living up to it. At the end of each day, we ask and received forgiveness for our mistakes. We have a clean slate; The question is: What will we do with it?

    Everyone has some kind of calling, a God given mission of some sort. But we don’t always fulfill it. We have all kinds of excuses: I’m too old, too young, too poor, too tired, too busy. Jonah had a great excuse. God had asked him to help the archenemies of Israel, the very same nation that had exiled ten out of the 12 tribes. Jonah, out of his love for God’s people, rejected his mission. 

    What Jonah failed to take into account, however, is that when God hands us a mission, it’s not our duty to judge. It’s our job to fulfill it. The good news is that God gives us second chances, and it’s never too late to start. Some people know what their mission is from a deep place inside. Others have to look around at what’s broken in the world and then assess what tools they have to help fix it. My friends, take time to discover what God's call is for you, and then answer it!

Amen!

Reading: Jonah 3:1-10

Ref: HG SB

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry