More Than Obedience: Loving God Like He Loves Us

More Than Obedience: Loving God Like He Loves Us

(This devotional was written by one of our incarcerated students, sharing their faith and study of God’s Word.)

In Jonah chapter two the prophet Jonah cried out to the Lord, because of his affliction in the belly of the great fish. This was after running from God’s call for Jonah to go to Nineveh and cry out against it, for their wickedness had come up before God.

It took for Jonah to be thrown into the sea, swallowed by a great fish, and spend three days and three nights in the belly of the fish before he cried out to God. And he only cried out to God because of his affliction and because he knew that salvation is of the Lord. It seems that Jonah ultimately only obeyed God in order to escape the cursings upon disobedience.

In spite of Jonah’s self-centered attitude, God answered Jonah’s prayer immediately. The Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. God still fulfilled His plan and purpose in Jonah’s life. He used Jonah to speak His word to Nineveh, and in turn to save more than one hundred and twenty thousand babies, besides all the men and women who He saved.

Unfortunately Jonah’s bad attitude persisted even after God used him to accomplish so great a salvation. In this story, without a doubt, God alone gets the glory.

I can’t help but wonder how much more God may have used Jonah if Jonah had loved God enough to obey immediately and to always love people the way God loves.

And how much more will God use you and me when we love Him enough to always obey immediately and to love people the way God does. He even used Jonah as a sign pointing to Christ (Matthew 12:39-41).

And ultimately in Christ, God really demonstrates His love toward us (Romans 5:8).

These reflections on Jonah encourage me that God uses anyone who cries out to Him and obeys His word. And in contrast to this prophet, I am encouraged to obey not just to avoid the cursings of disobedience, but in love and in seeking that God will be glorified.

I pray you are also encouraged to love God and to honor, obey, and glorify Him.

Caleb C.