CHILD-FRIENDLY NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON’T!

Jonah 4:6-10 GNT

Then the LORD God made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him some shade, so that he would be more comfortable. Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant. [7] But at dawn the next day, at God's command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died. [8] After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint from the heat of the sun beating down on his head. So he wished he were dead. "I am better off dead than alive," he said. [9] But God said to him, "What right do you have to be angry about the plant?" Jonah replied, "I have every right to be angry-angry enough to die!" [10] The LORD said to him, "This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it and you didn't make it grow-yet you feel sorry for it!

 

Sometimes in life, something good appears suddenly — a gift, a happy moment, a new friend, or something that makes us feel comfortable. And then, just as quickly, it disappears. Now you see it, now you don’t. This is what happened to Jonah.

After Jonah preached to Nineveh, he sat outside the city to watch what would happen. God made a plant grow quickly to give Jonah shade. Jonah was very happy because the plant made him comfortable.

But the next morning, God sent a worm that ate the plant, and it died. Then God sent a hot wind, and the sun made Jonah feel weak. The same God who gave the shade allowed it to go away. Jonah became angry and upset.

This story teaches us something important: sometimes we enjoy the gift more than the God who gave it. Jonah cared more about the plant than about the people of Nineveh. God used the plant to show Jonah that earthly things do not last, but people matter to God forever.

God asked Jonah why he was angry about a plant he did not grow. Jonah cared about the plant, but he did not care about the souls in Nineveh. The plant was temporary, but the people were eternal.

Sometimes God gives us something for a short time to teach us a lesson. And sometimes He takes it away to help us see what is in our hearts. The plant was not the problem — Jonah’s attitude was.

God wants us to love Him more than our comfort and to care about others the way He does.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS 

·       What good thing in my life have I enjoyed more than God? 

·       How do I act when something I like is taken away? 

·       What lesson might God be teaching me through a change in my life?

PRAYER: Father, help me learn from the blessings You give and the ones You take away. Teach me to love You more than my comfort and to care about others the way You do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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