Learn to Have a Willing Heart

Jonah was used of God to accomplish a great task, once he listened and decided to respond in a positive manner. But he had an unwilling heart at first. He wasn't willing to do what God had asked. "Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me'" (Jonah 1:1-2). But Jonah would have none of it. The story continues, "But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD" (v. 3a).

He "found a ship going to Tarshish" (v. 3b) and set out on an ill-advised journey. But the Lord would not let go of him. He was seeking a willing heart and set about developing such a heart within him. "The LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up" (v. 4). The men of the ship, in an effort to discover the cause, "cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah" (v. 7). Eventually they were convinced to throw Jonah overboard, which they did, "and the sea ceased from its raging" (v. 15).

God wasn't finished. "Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights" (v. 17). What would it take? Surely by now Jonah was ready to repent of his unfaithfulness and be willing to do the work to which God had called him. I know I would be.

We pick up the story with Jonah in the belly of the "great fish" (v. 17). He had three full days to think and pray. And pray he did! He cried out to the Lord and said, "I have been cast out of Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple... I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD" (2:4, 9). Now he had a willing heart, "So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land" (v. 10).

"Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.' So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD" (3:1-3a). He preached as God told him to and the people repented of their sin, receiving God's mercy (v. 10).

Jonah wasn't happy and even "became angry" (4:1). After all, these people were sworn enemies of his people. He knew God would have pity on them (v. 2), but he would not. He would rather die (v. 3). God would deal with Jonah in the remaining verses of chapter four. He needed to learn to love his enemies and have compassion on them. But he had at least found a willing heart to do what God asked of him. A little compassion, and he would feel much better about everything.

In all fairness to Jonah, his unwillingness to do as God asked and go to Nineveh was an isolated case. He was willing to serve to an extent; in fact he was already serving in some capacity as a prophet. So his heart was willing, but with limits. He had no interest in taking the message of forgiveness to the sworn enemies of Israel. That is where he drew a line in the sand. And how did that work out for him? Not so good. He refused to cross that line, even knowing that God was in it, and He paid a great price.

Do you ever draw lines in the sand concerning what you will or will not do and where you will or will not go? Do you put limits on God? Is your heart a willing heart but only to an extent? Or are you truly willing to follow God wherever He leads? Are you willing to do whatever He asks of you? Those are important questions that need to be answered. If you try to limit God, He will persuade you, as he did with Jonah. Amen.

For Such a Time as This

In the Old Testament, let's take a look at the life of Esther: "The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti" (Esther 2:17). Though a Jew, Esther had risen to be the Queen of Persia.

When her cousin Mordecai "would not bow or pay homage" before Haman, the King's top official (3:2), Haman "sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai" (v. 6b). So Mordecai, when he heard this, appealed to Esther to intercede with the king on behalf of her people (4:8b), but she was reluctant. She replied, "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days" (v. 11).

Then Mordecai said: "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (vv. 13-14).

Esther was not living up to her God-given purpose until she heard these words from Mordecai. She was challenged and she responded. She went before the king and there was a great deliverance of her people (5:1ff). So even though she hesitated at first, in the end, when God spoke, Esther listened and was used by God to deliver her people. She had a willing heart.

Now, we might want to cut Esther a little slack. We can certainly understand why she hesitated. In that culture, to approach the king without being summoned by him was an offense punishable by death (4:11). So perhaps Queen Esther hesitated for good reason. Yet she didn't hesitate for long. She merely wanted to be certain of God's leading. When she was certain that God was in it, she knew that it was the right thing to do and, regardless of the outcome for her (v. 16b), she knew that God would accomplish His purpose in saving His people. All along her heart was in the right place and she was willing to follow God's lead and do what He asked of her.

What we take away from this story is that God is seeking a willing heart. When you walk with the Lord Jesus and live by His Word, God will pour out His blessings on you and use you to accomplish His will. Like Esther, you just need a willing heart. Amen.

Walk Humbly with Your God

God does have things to say, if we will but listen. What He says comes primarily through His written Word. But He also speaks directly to our hearts and minds. He may give us direction in answer to our prayers. He may ask us to lift someone up in prayer by putting their name on our mind. But God does speak to us and what God says is important. We simply need to be still and listen and follow His lead. When we do, He will use us in incredible ways, and all for His glory.

There are so many passages we could look at. What the Lord says to us and what He wants us to know, fills every page of Scripture. He reveals His own character to show us what we should be like and to encourage us to love more. He commands us to love others and encourages us to reach out to them. He commands us to be holy as He is holy, as He encourages us in our walk with Him.

Micah 6:8 is just such a verse: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” You do not have to look far to discover what God is saying to you. You must treat other people justly, or in other words, do right by others. Be kind and merciful in your dealings with people. And throughout your life remain humble as you walk with God.

As His people, God calls us and reveals His Word to us. In Scripture, He instructs us as to how we should treat others and He encourages us in our own walk with Him. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Spend time in the Word every day and live your life by faith in Christ. Let Jesus take hold of your life and let Him live His life through you. Amen.

To Help Your Neighbor Is to Help Jesus

In a parable, Jesus spoke to His disciples of a day when He would judge the nations. In Matthew 25:31-46, He said, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'

"Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The Lord speaks plainly. What He says is clear. Love God above all else. Make sure He is always number one in your life. But also, reach out to your neighbor. Help whoever is in need in whatever way you can. Help him get the things he needs, because when you help your neighbor, it is just as though you are helping Jesus Himself. But most especially, help your neighbor in His walk with Christ. Help him keep his eyes fixed on Jesus. Remember your neighbor, and God will use you in incredible ways. Amen.