Jonah, the self-centered prophet

Seeing the ball and chain of our terrible self-centeredness

Jonah 3:5-4:4

When I was a child growing up in Sunday school, I was taught the Bible’s secret to a joyful life in the Lord. It was a song. Maybe you’ve heard it too. “J.O.Y. Jesus and Others and You. What a wonderful way to spell JOY!” It was simple, it was memorable and it was powerful in setting my thoughts and feelings and actions in order. I and so many others have found it so defining and helpful in our young life of faith. And when a Christian is walking in the Spirit, the priorities of this simple song become a reality in the world and in the life of that believer. And what a simple and powerful testimony to the Lord it is. But when that priority gets jumbled, when our natural selves come out to play: Oh boy do things get messy, confusing, painful and ugly! For ourselves, for those around us, and to our loss.

Today we’re going to take a brief peek into the life of one of God’s prophets, Jonah through his brief book. And in doing so I hope that we can see in Jonah something of the terrible ball and chain that self-centeredness was to him, and in so doing maybe see in the mirror of a part of his life, a bit of reflection of the thing that holds us back in our own enjoyment of eternal life in Jesus, and our sincere and free and productive service and sacrificial to Him. Maybe, just maybe, we can return with a fresh start to the old true song. J.O.Y.