No Substitutions Allowed

Jonah 1-2

The story of Jonah's resistance to the Lord's calling is legendary. But isn'
t it unfortunate that God had to go to such extreme measures to get His
prophet
to obey?

Jonah did what we all sometimes try to do - namely, substitute our plan for
God's. There are times when we know what the Lord has in mind, but resist
anyway.
Then whenever we pray, it seems He brings up the issue we have been trying
to avoid. The pressure to act never lets up until we decide either to do
what
God asks or to quit praying. So we proceed, but not according to the plan
laid before us. Instead, we choose a course that fit our desires, and we try
to drown out God's voice in a flurry of activity. Maybe we even get involved
in some ministry, hoping that He will be appeased.

All of that busyness and service from wrong motivation will bring only
misery. Anything short of complete obedience is disobedience; if getting us
to learn
this principle requires that we be swallowed up by whale-sized trouble, God
will allow it in our life. The Lord is not interested in our convenience or
comfort; He is focused on conforming His children to Christlikeness and
using them to spread the Gospel throughout the world. Substituting our
shortsighted
plan for His is selfish.

When we resist God's perfect plan for our life because of what it might cost
us in wealth, time, or social status, we fall deeper into the belly of
strife
and distress. But the moment we repent and commit to obey, we are purged
from the self-imposed prison of disobedience. Following the Lord's plan for
our
life is the way to peace and joy.


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