As a missionary how many times I have heard someone say, “God once spoke to me about being an overseas missionary but,” their stories and excuses could fill a book. I call them my Jonah friends and seek them out whenever and wherever they might be found. Jonah failed the first time around but with a little hand on by God he came around and did a great job doing what he was told. In fact the whole city of Nineveh repented when he delivered God’s message. He was God’s man for Nineveh.
My Jonah friends are like Jonah, they hear the clear plain words to go here or there but they get out of Dodge and head the other way, out of the presence of the Lord. I do not look to find them in church every Sunday morning nor do I find them walking the halls of Bible schools where we fish for men so often. They are running, but like Paul wanting John Mark the young man that failed him, I want these men and women because they will be good for our ministry. They are God’s men and women for the job.
I am not sure where you might be just now; you could be running from the presence of the Lord or maybe asleep in the fields that are white unto harvest. My words to you would be the same Paul gave to the Corinthians in the book of I Corinthians 15:34. “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.”
Standing on the beach all wet and pulling sea weed from his face after a bit of time in the belly of a fish, Jonah heard these words once again. Jonah 3:1, Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh and deliver the message I have given to you.” Please pray for me as I find these Jonah types and I help them get back on track the second time around. Let’s get up and get started there is a world of Nineveh’s waiting.
If God has spoken to you, shame on me if I do not refer you to the book of Ezekiel 3:17-21 and let you see how important it is to speak out the Words of God to the wicked. Running from God is all fun and games until we stand before a Holy God that has said, “Go.” Call this Rep work or Member Care, it takes a team to reach the unreached and I thank God He gives us a second chance to be what he wants us to be. Jack
Travis Reeves says
I commented once before but it seems to have been removed with out a correction or notification. The blog entry is great! I just wanted to point out the typo so that it might be corrected. I will try again in hopes that it can be corrected! Thank you for writing this! Please correct the accidental “change” to “chance” in the last sentence.