Ever wanted a do-over? We all want second chances but sometimes struggle to offer them.
What if that reluctance is hindering our own fresh start? Discover how one man found his second chance in the most unexpected way in our March series, Jonah.
In week one, we looked at Jonah 1 and how a man chosen by God to fulfil a specific role, refused to carry out his mission. Jonah turned away from God and his life went down. You can listen to the message here. Some key things we considered:
- If you want to run from God, the devil will always offer you a ride; just like the boat that Jonah boarded.
- Delayed obedience, is disobedience. Being part of a church family means we can help each other to work towards spiritual maturity; shortening that length of time between God asking you to do/not do something, and us responding.
- Are you struggling right now because you’ve got the wrong person (or other distraction) in your boat? The innocent sailors on Jonah’s boat were suffering because of his disobedience; is there someone or something in your life which is pulling you away from God’s purpose for you?
- God won’t let you get comfortable in your sin; He sent a storm to give Jonah a literal ‘wake-up call’.
- Where in your life are you rationalising sin and running from God? Be honest with yourself and talk to God about it.
In week two, we looked at Jonah 2 and how Jonah, having realised his life was in a bad place after turning from God, prayed to and praised the creator. You can listen to the message here. Some key things we considered:
- When Jonah was drowning, God provided him with a lifeline – a big fish. Not the kind of lifeline he was probably hoping for! Remember, God doesn’t always give us what we want, but He does give us what we need.
- When he was at his lowest point (literally), Jonah did what James 5:13 says, “Is anyone among you in trouble, let them pray.” Jonah prayed a great prayer. We considered how we can enhance our prayer experience by practice, using God’s word and by being patient in waiting for a response. While you are still waiting, God is still working.
- We also reflected on how Jonah’s salvation (ie. being vomited from the fish) was not clean or pretty after three days in the belly of the fish. Sometimes our salvation from difficult situations can be tough, but it doesn’t mean that God isn’t there. Our salvation came through the painful death of Jesus on the cross, and His three days in the depths of the earth.
In week three, we looked at Jonah 3 and how Jonah, having been given a second chance by God, finally went to Nineveh to preach and saw a whole city repent. You can listen to the message here. Some key things we considered:
- We should be thankful that God is always prepared to give us a second chance. Our God doesn’t just call, he calls back.
- As we saw the people of Nineveh repent, we reflected upon how we should never underestimate God’s power to work in those who seem most distant from Him. Keep praying for those people in your family and friendship group who haven’t yet come to know God.
- Don’t just believe IN God… Believe God. Think about it. There’s a big difference. The people of Nineveh believed God.
- God had a clear message for the people of Nineveh. This week think about what God might be saying to you. And remember, every chance that comes God, demands a choice from you.
In week four, we looked at Jonah 4. We spent time reflecting on Jonah’s journey and how there is so much reassurance we can gain from studying his character and relationship with God. You can listen to the message here. Some key things we considered:
- Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh, but he was angry that God showed compassion towards them. We reflected on how we can do the will of God, without having the heart of God.
- We considered the irony of Jonah being quite happy to accept God’s blessings for himself, but his inability to accept God’s compassion for those he disliked. We serve a gracious and compassionate God.
- On studying Jonah’s personality we considered three traits that we could relate to: Erratic Mood Swings, Entitlement Tendancies and Depressive Symptoms.
- While Jonah’s emotions were up and down, and his relationship with God came and went, we saw throughout Jonah’s story that his attitude did not change God’s character.
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