#4 Jonah Obedience is more important than opinion

Obedience is more important than opinion #4 Jonah
 
There was a movie about poor kids in Kentucky during the Vietnam war,  and the main actor was always being punched by much older boys, one scene all the characters were at a fair and the main boy got in a fight with the older boys until the main boys father sowed up, all fighting stopped, and the and the main boy smiled thinking his dad was going to bring the pain to those older boys, but instead the dad gave all his cotton candy and pop corn to those boys. The boy yelled at his dad “Why you do that, I received a beating from them” the father replied, “those boys haven’t received anything in a long time”. Jonah hated the Ninevites, they were known as a mean people, immoral people and Jonah was like that little boy smiling thinking GOD was going to bring down the hammer on these people, but GOD showed grace, not the hammer. Everyone of us have our own opinions on people and a lot of the time we don’t like someone, and we sure are not going to pray for them, or tell them about the gift of JESUS. They don’t deserve that, let them rot in hell, let them live with the choices they made. But Romans 3:23-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Put yourself on that list of those that don’t deserve to know Jesus, but in 24 it is JESUS that saves us even when we all don’t deserve it. So GOD’s grace that we need, is way more important than our opinions. God knows our Obedience in GOD is so much more important than our simple opinion of others. Who knows maybe GOD may use you to reach someone you don’t care for?
 
1.      Can you think of someone you dislike? How can you put that opinion aside?
2.      If GOD’s grace is good enough for you is it good enough for everyone?
3.      What can you do to reach those that you dislike?
 
 
 
Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion
4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant[c] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
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