The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him. Jonah 1:16 (NLT)
Have you seen a beautiful lamp with the dust protector still carefully in place? Or maybe you’ve seen a 20-year-old couch that looks brand new, only because no one has ever been allowed to sit on it!
If we’re not careful, we can spend our lives so focused on protecting things that we don’t actually enjoy or use. We often develop this attitude toward our own gifts and abilities, and hide away our potential.
Jonah illustrates how sometimes we need a little push to get us moving toward living purposefully. Jonah initially refused to follow God’s mission for him to deliver a life-saving message to the city of Nineveh. While thousands of lives hung in the balance, Jonah sailed in the opposite direction, trying to run from God and his destiny. Then a vicious storm came up. When the petrified sailors figured out Jonah was the reason, Jonah instructed them to throw him overboard in order to stop the storm and save them.
Although he initially ran from God’s call, Jonah eventually chose to pour out his life for others—in the midst of the storm and also later when he finally went to Nineveh. The result? His selflessness changed lives and turned hearts to God!
We need to make the most of the skills and opportunities we’re given, rather than be like that couch, sitting safe and pretty but not actually fulfilling our purpose. It’s time to throw off the dust protectors of life! Let’s begin enjoying life and using our gifts as they were intended—to be outwardly focused, making the most of our time for the Kingdom!