Hey folks,
Today we're looking at something that might make us uncomfortable - the danger of religious self-righteousness. It's easy to point fingers at Jonah, but his story exposes something in all of us. Let's dial in.
"When you forget that you were lost, you inevitably become self-righteous, and self-righteous people don't understand the rationale behind God's mercy." - Jonny Ardavanis
Jonah 4:10-11
"Then the Lord said, 'You had compassion on the plant... should I not have compassion on Nineveh?'"
Picture this: Jonah is more upset about a plant dying than about thousands of people potentially going to hell. Sound extreme? But here's what's convicting - we often care more about our own comfort than people's eternal destiny.
Here's what's wild - God uses this little drama with a plant, a worm, and a wind to expose Jonah's heart. And man, does it work. Jonah is elated over a plant that gives him shade but furious that God would save an entire city. He's more willing to die over losing his comfort than to live for lost people.
This hits hard because it exposes our own priorities. We get more worked up about our jobs, our hobbies, our reputation, our comfort than we do about people heading toward a Christless eternity. When was the last time you lost sleep over someone's eternal destiny? When was the last time you were as concerned about someone's salvation as you were about your own convenience?
What "plants" in your life might be taking priority over God's mission to save the lost?
How can you move from being merely doctrinally correct to having God's heart for lost people?
If I care more about my comfort than lost people's salvation, I've missed God's heart entirely.
Stay dialed in,
Jonny Ardavanis
