A Plant or People?

 Sometimes we can get our values all out of whack. We can be very concerned about something that is very unimportant, while at the same time, not being concerned at all about something that is of the utmost importance. We can care about a football game more than we care about a friend or our family. We can care more about our clothes than we care about having money for our children's education.  This serious problem infects many people today.

It was definitely a problem for the prophet Jonah. When it came to the end of his ministry in Nineveh, which he didn't want to carry out in the first place, he was more concerned about a plant than the people of Nineveh. (Jonah 4:9) God had to ask Jonah if it was right for him to be angry about a plant dying. Jonah answered the Lord that it was right for him to be angry about that, even unto death. What a sad statement from Jonah! 

The plant was giving Jonah shade from the heat and hot, dry wind. Then, an insect ate into the plant and killed it in one night. Jonah was so angry he wanted to die. God tried to reason with him, but that didn't work. All Jonah cared about was his own comfort. He was selfishly concerned about himself, but not about having a positive ministry on the people of Nineveh. He cared for the plant, but not the people. He saw the whole situation in the wrong way.

However, let's not be too hard on Jonah. Let's look at ourselves. Are we doing the same basic thing? If we are too busy to minister to our neighbors, we are putting ourselves ahead of those who need the Lord. We are caring more about our comfort than their eternal destiny. I can hear God asking us right now to tell Him if that is right for us to do. Of course, the answer is no. We need to learn from Jonah that our priority should be people, not pleasure. We should care about those who need to know Jesus more than we care about ourselves.

#NHBaptistdotorg

Tomorrow, I intend to read Micah 2-4.