I love
the story of Jonah! It’s full of drama and important life lessons. After
stubbornly refusing to do God’s will, Jonah finally preached a revival service
in Nineveh that would have made him one of the most successful missionaries of
his time. When the people repented and turned from their wicked ways—and when
God relented and turned from His anger against them—you would have expected
Jonah to rejoice. Instead, he was angry that God was merciful. Why? Although he
was finally obeying God by doing the right thing in the right place, he was
deeply flawed on the inside.
Like
Jonah, if we are not careful, we can be spiritually “looking good” on the
outside, but far from God in our hearts. He is most interested in what we are
like on the inside. His Word is “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the division of soul and spirit” (Heb. 4:12). With it, He performs
divine surgery to remove the greed, dishonesty, hatred, pride, and selfishness
that live in the deep shadows of our hearts.
So the
next time the Holy Spirit convicts you and asks you about your bad attitude
(see Jonah 4:4)—listen carefully. Surrender and let Him change you from the
inside out.
If God
controls you on the inside, you’ll be genuine on the outside. (RBC)
