Last week we talked about Jonah’s disobedience to God. We saw that when God punished him, he repented and asked for forgiveness. After that, the big fish spit Jonah onto the shore so he could go into Nineveh and preach the message of forgiveness that God wanted him to preach.
The Ninevites responded to Jonah’s message with repentance. Do you think that made Jonah happy? No, it did not.
After they repented and God turned from His punishment, Jonah went outside of the city to see what would happen to the city. There God caused a plant to grow and be shade for Jonah because the sun was so hot. This made Jonah happy. However, God sent a worm to eat the plant and cause it to die leaving Jonah without any shade in the hot sun. This made Jonah mad.
Do you think Jonah had a right to be mad because God forgave the Ninevites? No!
Do you think Jonah had a right to be mad because God took the plant away? No!
The Bible teaches us that all good things come from God. (James 1:17)
What should have been Jonah’s response to the Ninevites repenting? He should have rejoiced that God had forgiven them just as He had forgiven Jonah.
The Apostle Paul teaches that we should be content which means “satisfied” in all things (Phil. 4:11). How can you practice being content or satisfied in all things?
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