TODAY’S VERSES:
Jonah 1-3a “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”
We recently started a new series in prep school studying the book of Jonah! If you go read chapter 1, you can follow along with us! If you have trouble finding it, just use the index in the front of your Bible! Hint: it is in the minor prophet section (last part) of the Old Testament. We asked the kids, “What lessons do you see God teaching us in this chapter?” Here is what stood out to all of us:
1-The importance of obedience to God. As one student said, “We obey Him because He is God”. He is in charge of EVERYTHING, the Ultimate Authority. On top of that, He loves us and has given us countless reasons to love Him back and to show Him our love by obeying.
John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands.”
2-The results of disobedience. There are consequences for disobeying our parents here on Earth, right? Well, there are also consequences for disobeying our Heavenly Father! Both God and our parents discipline us because they love us and want us to learn how to live righteously. This is something we should be grateful for!
Proverbs 3:11-12 “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”
3-Our sin affects those around us. Unless you live alone on an island, your behavior affects others. Not only this, your discipline affects others. Have you ever heard the term “ripple effect”? If not, here is another Kids’ Corner, Ripple Effect, you can read to help you understand what it means.
1 Corinthians 5:6b “Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?”
4-God is faithful and forgiving. Despite the fact that we disobey Him EVERY DAY, we can seek His forgiveness and He gives it to us! Every day is a fresh start, another opportunity to live righteously, learning from our past mistakes!
Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
5-It is impossible to truly flee from the Lord. God is omnipresent (He is everywhere) and omniscient (He knows everything), so He is always with us and knows everything about us!
Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
6-We never “get away with” sin. God does not look the other way or “let it slide” when we sin. We may not see the consequences right away and they may not come how we expected, but there are always results of our actions, both good and evil.
Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
Wow! This first chapter is packed full of wonderful lessons. We hope you are as excited as we are to see what God has in store for us in the rest of this awesome book!