All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. – Jonah 1:5 (NIV)
In today’s Bible verse, we see that Jonah goes to sleep in the storm. I don’t know about you, but I find that really difficult to imagine. I never sleep well in storms. Then I try to imagine that I’m in a ship that is tossing and rocking in a terrible storm about to sink, and I find it so amazing that Jonah is sleeping deeply.
The people on the ship could have really used Jonah’s help. I’m sure they would have loved it if he had been helping them try to save their lives rather than just sleeping below deck.
Yet, I can relate to Jonah also in this moment. I know that there have been times when I’ve ignored others when they needed help. Maybe I didn’t feel like helping at that moment, and so I ignored the need. And you probably have done the same thing. Maybe you saw a friend in need, and you knew that it would cost you some comfort and so you decided it was easier to just ignore their need.
It’s easy to turn our back on the people that need us and do what feels comfortable, like Jonah did. However, God calls us as Christians to help others in need. We aren’t to pretend like we can’t see them or put off helping because we’re too busy or to help would cause us inconvenience. Instead, we should do what we can to help others, regardless of the cost.
Today’s Truth: What matters isn’t comfort rather it’s asking what is God calling me to do?
We should volunteer at church, if its needed. We should do anything and everything we can because in the light of eternity, helping others, especially with things that help them know Jesus really does matter. It can be easy to want to stay where it’s comfortable, but God is calling us to come up from below deck, to wake up, and to ask what is it that God is calling us to do?
What matters in light of eternity? Is it that you did more fun things, or that you helped someone know Jesus more?
Pray: God, I ask you to help me prioritize my life in terms of eternity. I want to be sure that my choices are helping others know Jesus more. Help me to live for you today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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