Choose to Obey

Choose to obey.

We are living in the era of "reality" television programs. My husband and I have become intrigued with the Super Nanny program. We are amazed that parents now need someone to come in and explain to them that they are the parents, and it's OK to tell your children no. Somehow we knew that children needed consistency and order. How have people known these things in the past generations? First, in all of scripture we see order and consistency. Scripture verifies we can depend on God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
This week take time to look at the book of Jonah. Try to read through this little, four chapter, book in the Living Bible translation or some other modern day translation.
First God gives Jonah a specific request: "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are." That direction is very clear. Jonah didn't have to wonder what God wanted him to do. But Jonah decided to ignore the very clear and precise direction from God. He threw a huge temper tantrum. "But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord." Jonah committed a deliberate act of disobedience.
So what did God do? Did He yell and scream and threaten Jonah? No. First, when Jonah realized the ship he was on was destined to sink, he knew exactly why. The crew asked, "What have you done to bring this awful storm down on us?" Jonah answered, "I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land. Then he told them that he was running away from the Lord." When the crew threw Jonah overboard, the storm subsided and all was well with them, but not for Jonah. God gave him a time out. God didn't put Jonah in the naughty room or the naughty chair; He put him in the belly of a large fish that had been created just for Jonah! During that time out, Jonah came to his senses. When the fish dumped Jonah on the beach, Jonah was ready to say, "I am sorry." So what did God do? Did He belittle Jonah or constantly remind him of his disobedience? No. "Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message of judgment I have given you." God did not get sidetracked by Jonah's disobedience. He just made sure Jonah followed through on what God had told him to do in the first place. As we read further in Jonah, we even see God gave Jonah time to pout once he had been obedient.
In this book we have a wonderful description of God's plan for raising children, Give them clear directions; provide a time out if necessary; after the time out make sure they do what you asked them to do in the first place; don't get sidetracked. We also see that we serve a wonderful, dependable, consistent, forgiving God. Aren't you glad He does not keep a record of wrongs, and He loves us no matter how many times we throw our own style of temper tantrums? No matter how much we run, the requests remain consistent and predictable.
I saw a license frame that said, "God sent me to Nineveh, but I went to Nordstrom's instead." No wonder we have trouble giving our children directions. We don't want to follow directions ourselves.
God's word has given us clear directions for life long before we ever heard of a Super Nanny.

"Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your principles" (Psalm 119:12).

Marilyn is a wife and mother, author, and international conference and retreat speaker. She and her husband Glen serve as Counselors-in-Residence at America's KESWICK during the summer months.