A Devotional Life

Jonah 4:1-11. Whenever I ref kids’ football, every argument over a foul sounds exactly the same. If one player falls, it’s obviously the other team’s fault… free kick, no question. But if it’s the other way round? “He’s tripped over the ball… that’s a handball!” I played football like that as a kid, too. But this is not just a kids’ football issue; the human heart just works that way. We are naturally conditioned to justify ourselves and judge others. And that’s exactly where Jonah finds himself in chapter 4, which reveals the nature of man vs that of God in His mercy. The fundamental truth… Jonah is selfish (v1–3, 5–7). Jonah’s anger exposes more than frustration; it reveals resistance. He admits he ran because he knew God would be merciful. His issue isn’t injustice; it’s that ...

Jonah 3:1-10. Through God’s insistent command to Jonah (1:1-3; 3:1-2), He invites Jonah and us to the truth that His salvation is not just for one nation (Israel) but for all nations, not just for a particular people but for all people (Isa. 52:15). How does God’s mercy seek all people? Through… a Going people (v1-3). God’s mercy begins with God sending. Jonah receives God’s command a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh” (v1-2). Yet through Jonah’s reluctant obedience, Nineveh finds mercy. Jonah points beyond himself to Jesus, the selfless, obedient servant who willingly offered up His life to secure salvation for all (Matt. 12:40). Now Jesus commands His disciples to go and make disciples (Matt. 28:19). In various capacities, God’s covenant people are a going people with a go command; for Jonah, it was Nine...

Jonah 1:17-2:10. How does God respond to someone who once knew Him (2 Kings 14:23–29) but has now turned away (1:3)? Our passage shows that, like a satnav that never stops rerouting, God moves toward Jonah in mercy, determined to restore him even if it takes a dramatic intervention. And this is what God does! God routed a great fish to Jonah. When Jonah chose to drown rather than obey (1:12), God had a plan. Before Jonah ever prayed, God acted. He sent a great fish to Jonah’s exact location as a strange but merciful provision (1:17). What felt like the depths of chaos, a life-ebbing experience (2:2-6), was in fact God’s deliberate rescue plan. The fish became the very place where Jonah could no longer run and could finally look up. In mercy, God allowed distress to become the pathway back to Himself. God revealed Himself to Jonah. In the dep...

Jonah 1:1-16. I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas break. Happy New Year! Have you ever had one of those sat-nav moments where no matter how far off course you go, it keeps rerouting and repeating “make a u-turn.” That’s the story of Jonah. God sends him north-east to Nineveh, but Jonah heads west to Joppa instead. And the book shows us something remarkable: God’s response to people on the wrong route isn’t abandonment, but mercy. Like a sat-nav, He keeps rerouting and calling us back to Himself. Jonah takes us on a journey into the nature of God’s mercy. In today’s passage, as we see the striking stubbornness of Jonah toward God, we begin to see the saving sovereignty of God’s mercy. In spite of Jonah’s refusal of God’s directive, God is still in control. He commands and can change all things (Ps 148:5, Jer 32:17). ...

Luke 2:10-15. (The message of the angel to the shepherds). When a baby is born, people celebrate, send gifts, and travel from all over to see the baby. And it can be pretty expensive for those of us with siblings all over. Often, when we see the baby, we make physical remarks like: “Oh, she’s got a round head like her dad”, or “his eyes are like his mum’s,” or “the baby’s so cute”, or “isn’t it lovely that she sleeps a lot”. All these remarks are not remarks of expectation. We’re not expecting anything from the baby for ourselves, let alone for everyone; that would be odd. But many years ago, a baby was born, and an angel appeared to some shepherds, informing them that this birth had implications for all people (v10). This birth affects everyone, you and me, both in this life and in the next. What did th...

Matthew 13:44-46, 51-52. (The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price). It’s easy to overlook, but God calls you a treasure. Do you trust His view of you? In these parables, Jesus describes the kingdom as a treasure discovered by a man, and then as a merchant searching for fine pearls. In both stories, something priceless is found, and everything else becomes worth giving up to have it. From the thread of all parables in the chapter so far the man or owner is the Son of Man, Christ (Matthew 13:37), but in regard to treasures He says the man or owner is also his disciples, us (Matthew 13:51-52; 6:33). Through these parables, Jesus reveals not only that He is our treasure but also that we are His. Christ is our treasure. In the parable, when the man finds the hidden treasure, his discovery fills him with joy (v44) and a sense of infinite wor...