The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are." But Jonah go up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. (Jonah 1:1-3a NLT)
God called Jonah to take a message to the people of Neneveh, but Jonah ran away from the Lord. He didn't run away because he didn't like God; he ran because he hated the Assyrians. He knew they were an evil people, but he was also aware that God was a gracious and forgiving God. He was afraid that God might want to give them a chance to repent, and he didn't want that to happen.
What does this teach us about being a follower of God? When you are a follower of Christ, you lose the right to choose whom you will love. The whole message of John 3:16 is that God loves everyone, and sent his son to die so that everyone will have the opportunity to choose eternal life rather than death. The bible specifically says, "Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)
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