October 30, 2022 • Tim Wilmetti • Jonah
God called Jonah to do hard things: Preach to the Ninevites. But Jonah was afraid, so he tried to run away. By God's grace, he was spared from death and given a second chance. He was going to do the hard things that God had called him to do.
Paul "boasts" of all that he's suffered in spreading the Gospel. He endured a great number of trials and tribulations in his efforts to make new and mature Christians. He was willing to do hard things because of his great love for Jesus.
Peter was overconfident in his ability to do hard things for God. But when the time came to prove his faith, he denied Jesus three times. Fortunately, he later proves his faith by boldly proclaiming the Gospel and eventually dying for his faith. Sometimes we can be overconfident in our faithfulness.
Jesus warns any potential followers that being a disciples requires us to do hard things. We might be called to end relationships or sacrifice our own lives when surrendering to Jesus. Of course, Jesus demonstrates what that looks like by suffering and dying for us on a cross.
