“So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging” (Jonah 1:15).
TEXT — Jonah 1:11-17
Message
According to Wikipedia, “Man overboard!” is an exclamation given aboard a vessel to indicate that a crew member or a passenger has fallen off the ship into the water and needs immediate rescue. Whoever sees the person fall is to shout, “Man overboard!” The call is then reported once by every crewman within earshot, even if they have not seen the victim fall. A person may fall overboard for any number of reasons: they might have been struck by one of the ship’s booms, lost their footing on a slippery deck or deliberately jumped overboard in a suicide attempt. Falling overboard is one of the most dangerous and life-threatening things at sea. This is the unbelievable route Jonah opted to take while running away from God.
On the ship to Tarshish, Jonah was identified as the reason for the storm threatening the lives of passengers and the general progress of the vessel. As a way forward, he told the mariners to throw him overboard so the storm could stop. The shipmasters were initially against the idea but eventually threw him overboard. Amazingly, the sea became calm once Jonah touched the water.
Many Christian leaders and preachers, like Jonah, are going in the wrong direction. They are disobedient to God’s plan and programme. By virtue of their leadership positions, they also have many followers in their “ships,” and if nothing is done, spiritual disaster will occur. However, while sailors usually strive to rescue people who fall overboard, the reverse is the case with Jonah. He was thrown into the water to secure the lives of others. Jesus told the Pharisees, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). Man overboard is the picture of how a Saviour died so that others in the ship might be rescued.
The love of God for man is real and eternal. No one has any reason to go to hell since the Saviour has given His life for us. Like the mariners, we, too, must allow the sacrificial death of Christ to atone for our sins. Do that today, and you will not regret your decision.
Thought for the day
It’s only natural for us to live for Him who died so that we may live.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
2 comments
I’m praying God Almighty for Spirit of humility to accept fault and confess my sin no matter my status to save the lives of people on board with my on this pilgrim journey. Today’s devotional is so challenging.
I’m praying God Almighty for Spirit of humility to accept fault and confess my sin no matter my status to save the lives of people on board with my on this pilgrim journey. Today’s devotional is so challenging.
Good, I happy to receive this every morning, thanks