Jonah 3:2

"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you." Jonah 3:2

So Jonah headed for Nineveh. He still wasn't happy about it. If we could have heard his proclamation of the Word of God, I suspect it would have been without power and authority. The only thing is, God's Word cannot be preached without returning a harvest - and God provided an instant harvest in Nineveh. The people who heard Jonah proclaim "Repent or die," repented, dressed themselves in sack cloth, and dusted themselves with ashes of remorse. In a matter of days the Word passed throughout a city so great that it took three days to walk from one end to another. Finally the Word reached the throne room of the king of Nineveh. He too repented! Imagine. A whole city won to God in days.

So Jonah rejoiced, right? Hardly. He looked to God and said, "I told you this is what would happen. Now you can't destroy the city!" Jonah wanted a great big fireball to consume the city. He wanted the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. He was disappointed that it did not happen! Certainly we are not like Jonah. We would never preach a half-hearted sermon to a people we hated - or would we? Even better, have we? Sorrowfully, I admit that there are those I would rather have not shared the Truth of salvation with. There are those I have crossed the street to avoid. Some received the Word willingly - others never heard because I never spoke! Indeed, there may be some who never heard before their death because I was God's final choice!

With this in mind, I must call upon you to hear the Gospel. Jesus died for you. His blood cleanses you and me from all sin - and we are all sinners. We have all failed to live up to God's expectations. We have all failed to live up to our own expectations. No matter what standard you use to measure success, we have missed it in one way or another. But you do not have to live in your sinful condition. You do not have to die a sinners death - separated from God. All you need to do is call upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Tell Him you are a sinner. Confess to Him that you have failed. Ask Him to forgive you. Accept the forgiveness that He so willingly gives. He will save you. He will redeem you and set you free. Then He will lead you in everything you need to do. Sure, you're not a Ninevite. You may not be an unbeliever. But if you are, today is your opportunity to find the freedom that comes through salvation in Jesus Christ! Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.