It is one of the best-known stories in the Bible. A man named Jonah was swallowed by a giant fish. It is so dramatic and vivid that it is easy to miss the main points of the story. There are three lessons that stand out to me from Jonah 's story.

  1. Stop running from God.
    That was how Jonah ended up in the belly of a whale. God had something for Jonah to do and he ran from his responsibility. God pursued Jonah until he got his attention. You may be running from God 's call in your life. You may be one who has never made the decision to follow Jesus. You may know he died for your sins, and you may believe that God raised him from the dead. But you have never acted on that reality. Stop running from God. Surrender your life and your will to him.

  2. God wants everyone to know him.
    God asked Jonah, one of his followers, to go to the city of Nineveh. This city was populated by a different race of people than Jonah and was a city that did not follow God. But God desired for the people of that city to come to him. God still wants all men everywhere to know him and to be in relationship with him. If you have wondered if God loves you and seeks you... then I can assure you that he does. Just as He sought the people of Nineveh.

  3. God is a God of second chances.
    Jonah did repent and go preach the truth about God in Nineveh. The people of Nineveh believed that message and turned to God. God acts in love to bring people to himself.

    4. If you have been running from God, if you want a relationship with him but worry that it is too late, or if you wonder whether or not you have run out of chances, then I have good news for you. Remember the story of Jonah. I can help you make his story part of your story.

    Write to me at sridgell@heraldoftruth.org or join us at HopeForLife.org.

    You can run but you cannot hide.



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