Weekend, July 9, 2022
An Urgent Message
“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!’” (Jonah 3:4 NKJV).
Jonah underwent a transformation in the fish’s belly. He could have died there, but God saved him and preserved him. Jonah was a changed man, and people can’t argue with a transformed life. He should have been dead, but he was alive and well.
As a result, there was an urgency and a passion in what he was saying. There was authenticity in his voice. He had a mission, and he was going to fulfill that mission. The Bible tells us that “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!’” (Jonah 3:4 NKJV).
Notice that Jonah “cried out.” Of course, this wasn’t the first time that Jonah cried out. He also cried out in the belly of the fish. Jonah 2:1–2 says, “Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: ‘I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me’” (Jonah 2:1-2 NKJV).
Are you in a time of difficulty? Are you in a time of trial? Cry out to the Lord. In Jeremiah 33:3 God says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (NKJV).
Jonah took the desperation he felt and channeled it into what God had called him to do in bringing the message to the people of Nineveh. And the people of Nineveh could see this was a resurrection man. Jonah 3:5 says, “So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them” (NKJV).
Our message, the message of the gospel, must be delivered with urgency. Do you have an urgency and a passion for reaching others with the Good News of Jesus Christ?
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Do your thoughts ever feel out of control? You’re not alone. And you’re not stuck. In his new book, Tame Your Thoughts, pastor and bestselling author Max Lucado helps you identify toxic thinking and replace it with the truth of Scripture. Clear and compelling, this book outlines biblical tools to help you stop unhealthy thought patterns and find peace, perspective, and joy in Christ. Request your copy of Tame Your Thoughts with your gift to Harvest Ministries this month.
