July 6: Jonah 4 5-11

Key Verse: Jonah 4 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.

Devotion:
How many times have you got angry with God – note I ask how many times, not if! We all do get angry with God at times because we want to see things done according to our own times and places, yet what do we do about all the other times and places the Lord allows us to be alive with and at?

Jonah sat outside of Tarshish to see what God was going to do to them because they were not obeying God or listening to Him. This was obviously a desert town because it was hot and no shade around anywhere, but God provided a small plant which grew up beside him to give Jonah a little bit of cover. Jonah did not give much attention to this plant other than being thankful for it being there. So it came and gave him shade and it went and died just as easily…

What lessons do we take from this? We need to not just be thankful for the things God gives us, but to take care of them too. Without us taking care of anything we are simply taking God for granted and living according to our own wants and needs. God is still with us and still cares for us, but when we ignore the very things He is placing around us, we are beginning to ignore God in our lives too.

Take a bit of time to stop and think about the things God is placing around your life. Take a bit of time not just to be thankful but to care for them too. This does not just include the plants around us, but the buildings, places, environment, and of course the people too. Stop taking them for granted and start offering a helping hand to the things and people which God places around you every day! Be thankful for more and care just that little bit more by showing you care!

Points to Ponder:
Do you get angry with God for not giving you what you want?

How much do you care for the things He gives you without you asking for them?