1Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. Jonah 3:1 NIV
Endurance is required to stay on task until it is finished. What if you quit like Jonah did the first time? What if you screw up and run the opposite way? What if don’t think you have what it takes to finish the task? Will God give you a second chance to “endure to the end’? The last answer is “YES” by the way.
After Jonah repented while in the belly of the fish (it’s worth reading his prayer in Jonah 2), God commanded the fish to spit him out on dry ground. God’s grace was twofold at this point. He allowed Jonah to finish his task, AND He wanted Nineveh to have the opportunity to repent. Jonah was that man to complete the message.
Some Endurance Helps for the Day
- No matter how off track yesterday was…God comes with a refreshing second time opportunity.
- Obedience (staying within your lanes) keeps you on track, your goal in focus, and protects your heart to have the right attitude for the journey.
- Like Jonah’s three day journey of walking, endurance will require a prolonged effort. But you can do it. Sweat Equity is a badge of enduring.
- Jonah’s goal was to proclaim the word of the Lord…it is mentioned in verse 2,4, and 5. Knowing, defining and doing the steps of your goal, inspires you to endure.
Whether it’s cleaning out a room, performing regular maintenance on your cars, completing your school work assignments on time, balancing your financial accounts, or sticking with your dieting and exercise routine, endurance is needed to cross your finish line.
Ask God to help you endure. Write down your goal and move forward today with the grace of God going before you, behind you and all around you. Endurance is not swayed by “mess ups” or derailments. Those actions always leave an open hook to couple with God’s grace to get moving again. Repent and return are embedded in endurance.
See you at the finish line.
Blessings Love y’all
This message could not have come at a better time. I did not read any email yesterday, and God had this message waiting for me! Thanks for your faithfulness to write these devotions.
Saturday’s Story Time was so creative. Reminded me of the times back in the day when we would listen to stories on the radio.
Hey Bettye, That made me smile. I want people to embrace story telling. the Bible is a stream of stories that God wants us to know about Himself and His involvement with mankind. Before the compilation of the Bible, the stories were told from generation to generation. So glad you enjoy Jimbob and Wally.
WE ARE CATCHING UP AND JUST HAD A GOOD LAUGH AND LESSON WITH THIS ONE, LIKE ALWAYS. LOVE WHAT YOU DO HERE, THANK YOU! 🙏🏼