Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ! Welcome to the „Daily Word for Spiritual Edification”!Yesterday we discussed how one man’s sin can negatively affect not just him or her, but also other people. In the same way, one man’s obedience and righteous living positively affects other people and the whole world.We all know the Bible story about Jonah.
«Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up» (Jonah, 1:1-4).
The more people like Jonah who are running away from God we have in the boat of our life, the more tempests and tragedies we will experience. If you are in the same boat with Jonah, the storm is inevitable.The sufferings of people that were in with Jonah were caused by Jonah’s disobedience. Until these people got rid of Jonah, they did not have peace and their lives were on the verge of disaster. As soon as they threw Jonah overboard, it was peaceful and quiet. «Then they said to him, „What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?” – for the sea was growing more tempestuous. And he said to them, „Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” (..) So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging» (Jonah, 1:11-12, 15).
But after Jonah repented of his disobedience and went where God sent him, the salvation came to all of inhabitants of Nineveh. When he repented and started preaching in Nineveh, the whole city turned to God; all of the inhabitants repented – from the least to the greatest. As a result the salvation came for the entire nation. «Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, „Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, „Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hand. (..) Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way…» (Jonah, 3:1-8, 10).
Repentance always brings blessing and healing, – even the repentance of one person. Because of Jonah’s repentance and obedience the entire city of Nineveh was stirred up.Your firm decision to follow Christ and walk in obedience to His Word will change not only your life, but also the life of the people around you. Righteousness exalts a person and his people.When a nation turns away from his evil ways and the violence of their hands, then the new times come; joy comes instead of joy and triumph comes instead of tragedy. An entire nation can fall under the judgment of God because of the sins of its people. Sodom and Gomorrah is a clear example of how sin brings a destruction and tragedy into the life of a whole nation. The Bible says: «Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people» (Proverbs, 14:34).
When people thirst for God and His Word and when a person’s heart is open for God’s Spirit, then there are fewer tragedies. But sin and lawlessness of people defile the earth and causes it to cast off the people living on it. «For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants» (Levit, 18:25).
You see the crucial role our lifestyle plays in our destiny; not only our life qulity, but also the life quality of entire nation depends on.Till tomorrow! God bless you!Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
