WHAT MATTERS MOST

"Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:  And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?" - Jonah 4:10-11

I doubt that many people consider Jonah to be among the best preachers of all time.  He rebelled against God, ran from God & stubbornly refused to repent.  It wasn't until a great fish swallowed Jonah that he began to repent.  His repentance led to a second chance at preaching to Nineveh.

Why did Jonah have such a bad attitude?  Throughout the book of Jonah, the preacher seemed to always have a wrong state of mind.  His heart clearly was not where it should have been. 

Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh because it was a Gentile city.  Jonah, like many Jews, looked unfavorably at Gentiles.  Jonah did not have a problem with God's judgment upon Nineveh; he just had a problem with going to the city and preaching to them.  Why?  Jonah knew that God was merciful and that if the people believed the message & repented, God would forgive & not destroy them.  Jonah did not want that to happen.

These days racism has become a major news item once again.  It is important to note that racism existed in Biblical times.  God is opposed to racism.  Jonah was a racist preacher.  After he reluctantly preached God's message of judgment to Nineveh, he went upon a hill that overlooked the city, hoping to get a good view of their destruction.  He had a cold, calloused heart, didn't he?

In response to Jonah's message, the entire city of Nineveh believed and repented.  While we don't think of Jonah as being a great preacher, he is among the few preachers who've preached & seen an entire city be saved.

While waiting on Nineveh's destruction (which never came), God caused a plant to grow quickly.  This plant became a shade tree for Jonah, shielding him from the hot sun.  He was happy to have the plant.  However, God caused a worm to feast upon the plant and it died.  Jonah's frustration reached a peak.  He didn't want to go to Nineveh in the first place.  He didn't want to preach to them.  He didn't want to see them saved.  Just when things seemed to improve with the comfort provided by the plant, its soon demise made him mad.

That's right, Jonah got mad at God.  He even justified himself in his anger.  When God challenged Jonah about his anger, Jonah told the Lord that he felt he had a right to be angry.  Clearly, Jonah's heart wasn't right with God.

In response to Jonah's selfish, rebellious words, the Bible says:  "Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:  And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"

In essence, God told Jonah that the people of Nineveh were far more important that a measly plant.  A lot of people need this message today.  We treat careers, education, politics, sports, and money with such great dedication, but we do little to help others, encourage people or make the Gospel known to the lost.

Nineveh would have been considered a mega city in Biblical times.  Over 120,000 people lived in Nineveh and all of them were perishing.  God cared for the people of Nineveh ... but Jonah didn't. 

Today, churches are more focused on programs, politics and personalities than the Gospel.  People are dying and going to hell while most church members are playing church.  We are not much better than Jonah.  God have mercy on the American church!

What matters most are the eternal souls of men, women, boys and girls.  A thousand years from now, it won't matter who won a Presidential election this year or who won the World Series.  A thousand years from now, the only thing that will matter is where people will spend eternity.

God has commanded us to go into the world and reach people with the Gospel.  It is not our job to convict or convert sinners.  It is our job to make the Gospel available to them. 

Do you live daily with a passion to make Jesus known to those around you?  Does this passion lead to tangible action? 

There are people around you who need the very same Jesus that you know.  Will you introduce them to the loving Savior? 

That is what matters most.