What you need to know about Worms!

Jonah 1-4; II Tim. 2

Scripture

Jonah 4:7 “ But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.”

Observation

The story of Jonah the reluctant evangelist has an interesting lesson that if you are not careful you could completely miss! It is the lesson of the “Worm”! In chapter 4 verse 7 we find Jonah enjoying the shade of a vine that God had miraculously provided for Jonah to give him shade. Jonah is sitting outside the city of Nineveh watching (and hoping) that God would destroy the city. He is angry because the people responded to his message and the entire city repented and got right with God.

While Jonah is sitting outside the city waiting, God decides to teach Jonah a lesson. God miraculously provides a vine that Jonah really enjoys for one day. Then the next day God provides a worm. The worm chews the vine and the vine shrivels up. Then God provides a scorching east wind and the hot sun beats down on Jonah until he wants to die.

Application

The lesson of the worm is this.

God provides lots of good things for us to enjoy, but we should never let those “good things” take our eyes off of Him and doing His will. Jonah was more concerned with the pleasure that the shade of the vine provided than the spiritual well being of the people of Nineveh. Sometimes God has to “send a worm” to take away some of the good things that are getting in the way of our relationship with Him.


Prayer

Heavenly Father help me keep my eyes focused on you. You have provided Kathy and I with so much, but help us to keep our focus on you and doing your will and not on the things surrounding us. Thank you for all the new people at church yesterday. Thank you for what you are doing in the lives of so many of our church members. Help me to stay focused on the harvest.



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