A SON OR A SLAVE?

A son is an offspring of a man possessing the genetics, physical and moral characteristics of the father.

As a son, there is a special relationship with the father.
By relationship, I mean traits, capacity. A son is never scared of the father! A son knows who the father is, a son understands the father better than others!
A son most likely can predict the Father's reaction to any issue.
A real son can represent the father to make even better decisions.
A son does not beg or look for rights to become a son, he automatically has the rights because he is the son! He has right to inheritance! He is bold, he has confidence in the fact that he is a son.

Contrawise, a slave has no right, has no confidence, cannot take decision independently and cannot be bold.

I SAY THIS TO ENABLE US LOOK A OURSELVES AND CHECK IF REALLY WE ARE SONS OF GOD.

I want us to look at a figure as our case study.

PROPHET JONAH

Jonah had only one mission, to go and preach a simple message to Nineveh city! He didn't need to seek the face of God in fasting and prayers! He just needed to give an information.
Jonah could not tell God that he would not go, but tried to subvert, pervert or sabotage the will of God!
He rather bought a ticket and boarded a ship to the opposite direction. You know the story so well.

The Lord sends a storm, and Jonah is not bothered because he knows what His God can do! He is asked to identify himself:

[[Jon 1:8]] KJV "Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land."

After they discovered that it was for his sake that the calamity came, they asked him what they should do to him, hear him:

[[Jon 1:11]] KJV "Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

• And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you."

He preferred to die instead of obeying God!

Do you see what the heart of man can do? Just because he didn't want Nineveh to receive God's mercy, he preferred to die!

Can you see why terrorism has much strength! The heart of man is desperately wicked! Man has no mercy at all.

But when God says yes! Who can say No? Not even the man of God who is to pray for you. The best of men are still men at their very best you know!

He found himself in the belly of the fish. God did not grant him death! I'm sure when the intestines of the fish tied round his neck, and the bones of the fish were choking, suffocating him, he decided to repent!
Jonah 2:1,5,7-8 NLT
Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from inside the fish. [5] "I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. [7] As my life was slipping away, I remembered the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. [8] Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies."

May we not get to this level before we remember God's mercy!

He got to the city of Nineveh at God's speed. The people of Nineveh had a culture of venerating fish! They honor fish and believe that it is a god, because fish vomited Jonah, they saw him as one that was sent by god! He preached that message and the whole ofnNineveh repented! He became unhappy at the reaction to his message;
[[Jon 4:1]] KJV But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

• And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
• Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

Jonah was so bold to express himself to God as his father even when he was very very wrong!
What a loving and compassionate father. He really wants to hear us, share with us , relate to us. He took time to explain to Jonah with demonstration of the gourd!

My point is this. See how Jonah was bold towards God Almighty even in his stubborn, disobedience state!
He didn't even have any remorse for being forced to come and the trouble he caused the mariners! May God give us a heart after Him to do His will, to be sold totally to Him.

How do we relate to this our God whom you call our father in heaven?
Most of us relate with Him as slaves, we fear him like the devil does!
Not a reverential legal and holy fear to depart from evil. We can't relate like sons! Why?

Because our lives have question marks and because He is light and our works are stained. We can't come close in case we are exposed.

Many people think that to work with God, we must do everything. You are the evangelist, you are the pastor, you are the counsellor, anyone you are not in charge is not correct!

Jonah preached only one message! Despite his disposition, his name is included in the bible.

I believe if we know what we are told to do, we will do it, and it will be recorded.

We are not the one to do everything! We need to find out what we are sent to do.
Be like a son, not a slave!

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