Corona Devo 471

As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God.   ~Luke 11:29-30

Where God is, miracles and salvation have always been also, and whether we read about Him in the Old or New Testament, no one but God could have woven the stories and experiences together in such perfect tandem.  The Old (Testament) proves the New (Testament), and they are a picture of God's love for His people (then and now). 

The story of Jonah is a fantastical one that we often tell our kids when they are little.  In a nutshell, Jonah got swallowed by a whale, spent three days in the belly, then the whale vomited him out and Jonah brought God's message of repentance to the people of Nineveh who were not living for God.  

The famous (and absolutely true) part of this story is usually the whale swallowing Jonah and then regurgitating him, and Jonah living through it all.  But for me, the most amazing part of the story is that the people of Nineveh listened to Jonah.  They turned from their sin and wicked ways and turned to God because someone shared the Word of God with them.  As a result, they were saved: When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened (Jonah 3:10).   

Jesus offers us the same opportunity today.

The crowd that gathered around Jesus the day he shared the comparison of Jonah to Himself didn't know it yet, but the example of Jonah was spot-on in comparing him to what Jesus was about to endure, and why.  Similar to Jonah, Jesus would spend three days in the belly of the Earth after being crucified, and also similar to Jonah, Jesus would come back (rise again) on the third day.  The purpose and message of Jesus to the people on the first Resurrection Sunday is the same purpose and message that Jonah had brought to the Ninevites.  It's also the same purpose and message that Jesus preaches into our hearts today--to bring God's message of repentance to the people who were not living for God, and to give the opportunity to turn to God and have a changed life and eternity.

We all have a little Ninevite in us--Tendencies to do our own thing and live for ourselves instead of Jesus.  

But God also knows that we all have a little Ninevite in us...the option to respond to the call of Christ on our lives and to live for Him.  

Lord, if we are asking You for a "miraculous sign" today to increase our faith--Your Word and the life examples of Jonah and Jesus are it.  Open our eyes and hearts to see ourselves in these stories.  If we are "Jonah" bringing Your message to someone that needs to hear it, let us do so boldly and with courage.  If we are the "Ninevites" and we have sin in our lives that needs to be reckoned with, let us turn from it and seek Your face as they did, Lord.  You ARE the miraculous sign we are seeking. Amen.   

Jonah was a regular guy, but he (eventually) allowed God to use him in a big way.  Jonah was ordained/called/appointed by God to share God's redeeming Word with others.  And those who heard him listened, and moved away from the sin in their lives to follow God.  And in God's mercy, their eternity was altered. 

Jesus was ordained/called/appointed by God to share God's redeeming Word with others, and He did it in the most costly way possible.  But His death allows us to live.  We can live a new life today with Jesus in our hearts.  And if we will turn from (our) evil ways, God will relent and we can live our eternity in paradise instead of destruction (Jonah 3:10).   

Jonah was an example of one called on to share God's message with those who were lost.  And Jesus was the Ultimate Example of reaching out in love to save our souls.  But God calls on us to be His next examples.  We too are ordained/called/appointed by God to share God's redeeming Word with others today, and many are in critical condition awaiting it.    

Certainly the Son of Man was sent by God.  And just as certainly God sent Jonah ,and He sends us today too.  Who are the Ninevites in our life and how can we share God's love, hope and salvation message with them?  

What if the most amazing part of OUR story was that someone listened/saw/experienced us sharing the story (and love) of Jesus with them and they turned from their sin and wicked ways and turned to God.  

That's a fantastical story, but where God is, miracles and salvation have always been also, and He is with us today.  If we know Him, we have a message in our heart that is meant to be shared.  We each have our own story, but we are all a part of God's big story: Old and New Testaments, and today. 

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: (2) “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”  (3) Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.  ~Jonah 3:1-3

Where is our Nineveh today?  

 "Go...and proclaim to it the message I give you.” ~Jonah 3:2

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com