Do I have to?

Jesus when he walked this earth spoke many times of heart issues. Here at Elim we have been looking at what the church looks like over the last 3 months. Last week we looked at the story of Jonah. There were 2 things that hit me SMACK in the face that I didn't notice all the other times that I have read or heard the story before.

1. It was easier for God to get 120,000 pagans to follow His will than it was to get Jonah to. I understand that Jonah had an excuse to not want to go, I understand he may not feel that they deserved to be able to repent but thank goodness God didn't think like Jonah. Jonah much like ourselves messed up and God doesn't come back to us and say "sorry you don't deserve it!"

My Question is why was it easier to get the people of Nineveh to repent than it was to get Jonah to, and how often is it easier for God to speak to us through non-Christians than it is to get us speak into each others lives? Why do people feel as though christians are less likely to have their back than their non-Christian friends?

2. My second thought was one that my mother-in-law heard, when we obey God we must not be like Jonah and do it begrudgingly. Here is Jonah seen God save him from a big fish, he goes to Nineveh they repent and he throws a hissy fit. God didn't do it his way. Ours is not to question why but to obey and obey joyfully.

God does not want us to do as he asks because we have to but because we want to. It makes Kourtnay happier when I do something she asks because I want to instead of because I feel like I have do. It shows the relationship we have with God and what we think of Him when we obey while "throwing a fit" or if we do it because God has done so much for us.

These are my thoughts today.