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Service Resources

Jonah 4

1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” 5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” 10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

MAIN IDEA

 God calls us to change our biases to fit His. 

GOING DEEPER
Questions from this weeks message.

 1.  What insight, principle or observation from this week’s message did you find to be most helpful, eye opening or troubling?  Please explain.  

2.  Share a story of a time you experienced really bad service, or were the recipient of someone's really bad driving. How did you respond, how did it leave you feeling?  

3.  Imagine the bad driver or person giving you bad service was someone you really loved, were invested in and you really wanted them to succeed. How would that have changed your response? We all have a like bias…and a dislike bias, and it affects how we respond to others.  

4. Read Jonah 4. What bias did Jonah have toward the Ninevites? If you have ever had an enemy you can likely feel along with Jonah. On the other hand what bias did God have toward the Ninevites?  

5.  Who are people that you have a hard time loving (Maybe because of their moral choices, political choices, the way they have hurt you…something else)? Is it hard to imagine that God loves them and wants to forgive them? Have you found God’s love and forgiveness offensive? Why or why not? What would it look like for you to love them like God does?  

6. Who are you investing in, or who might you need to invest in as you are called to share God’s love with others? Who is on your “pray for 4”? What would it look like to have a ‘make it more; conversation and ‘open the door’ of your life to those people in an intentional, invested way?  

7. Pray for each other. 

SUMMARY POINTS
  • God is not like us in our biases. God calls us to change our biases to fit His. 
  • We most easily love those we most want to love.
  • The ones we most want to love are the ones we are most invested in. 
  •  Pray for 4 | ‘Make it More’ conversations | Open the Door 
  • God calls us to change our biases to fit His.