Facing an assignment equivalent to being sent to warn notorious terrorists of God's anger with them, perhaps it was no wonder that Jonah ran away – certainly portrayed in Scripture as no “super saint”, he avoided God and His call on his life. Yet God turned the situation around as pagan sailors encountered the living God who made the land and sea and the entire population of a city realised that although they deserved to be wiped off the face of the earth, there was a God of compassion and mercy who forgave them. God's mercy is greater than our failures and through adverse circumstances and pain, a character of Christ-like compassion is chiseled out.
Jonah: Navigating a God-centered Life
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“Here is a pastor reading the book of Jonah and finding a preacher who wants settled ministry, not challenges; who wants to see his enemies crushed, not converted; who longs for God's grace in his own life, but not in the lives of others; who knows how to speak God's words with faithfulness, but who wants to see only the component of judgment worked out in reality; a preacher who is angry and who wants God to be angry too; a man who wallows in self-pity and hates it when God exposes that self-pity for the idolatrous arrogance it is. It is not difficult to see the relevance of such portraits in our own day. And what does it say of God, that he keeps working away at Jonah as he keeps working away at the Ninevites?” D. A. Carson, research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. “A faithful guide in helping us come to terms with Jonah's message for the church today.” Liam Goligher, Senior Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “This outstanding book not only presents the exciting story of Jonah interestingly, it also applies the story so that God can speak into our personal lives through it.” Ajith Fernando, Teaching Director, Youth for Christ, Sri Lanka. “Expect to be humbled, convicted, challenged, comforted and changed. The heart-warming, inescapable conclusion is that salvation truly comes from the Lord.” Jonathan Prime, Pastor of Enfield Evangelical Free Church, Enfield, UK. “The strength of the book is that it echoes the ministry of a prophet, speaking God’s words into a culture which resists that word.” David C Meredith, Senior Minister, Smithton-Culloden Free Church, Inverness, Scotland.
About the Author
Colin Smith is Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. His preaching ministry is shared through the daily radio program, Unlocking the Bible and through his website, UnlockingtheBible.org.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
God shows us through Jonah that Christians need His mercy and grace as much as the unsaved He is pursuing
May 31, 2012
Format:Paperback
Have you ever been in a position in your career when things were going just great and you wouldn't change a thing? Your job as CEO is going well or your church where you pastor is growing in all the right ways as a result of God working through your faithfulness to His Word. What would you do or say if God told you to quit your plush job at your fortune 500 company for an entry level management position at a no name company because He wanted you to turn it around and be a witness to the other employees there? What would you do or say to God is He told you to resign from your senior pastorate position at a large growing church to start a church in the Arizona desert in a small no name town?
This is the kind of situation we find Jonah in. In his most recent book, Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life, Colin S. Smith takes us through the book of Jonah as we see how Jonah responded to God's call in his life to leave his successful ministry among Israel in his hometown of Gath Hepher for a less than desirable ministry of evangelism in Ninevah among Israel's most feared enemies. As Smith observes, Jonah "was living his dream until, one day, God interrupted his life" (p. 16).
It is this divine interruption that reveals the heart of Jonah towards God and others. Jonah was not pleased with God's will for his life, and so much so, that he tried to run the other way from God. As the book of Jonah unfolds, we see a successful prophet of God acting like the very pagans God has sent him to minister to and call to repentance. As it turns out, Jonah had some repenting of his own that he needed to do. As God wanted to pursue the Ninevites through Jonah, God pursued Jonah as well.
Jonah, though a short commentary on a short book, is packed with exegetical, historical, practical and pastoral insight. Though it is easy to look at Jonah and say how could he act in such a way to God, careful and honest readers will quickly see that none of us are much different when put into the same situations in our own lives. The response of Jonah to God is a mirror into the depths of our own hearts and what it reveals is often not pretty
Jonah is an excellent book for personal or group devotions and will serve all Christians alike.
NOTE: I received this book from Christian Focus Publications and was under no obligation to provide a favorable review. The words expressed in this review are my own.
This is the kind of situation we find Jonah in. In his most recent book, Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life, Colin S. Smith takes us through the book of Jonah as we see how Jonah responded to God's call in his life to leave his successful ministry among Israel in his hometown of Gath Hepher for a less than desirable ministry of evangelism in Ninevah among Israel's most feared enemies. As Smith observes, Jonah "was living his dream until, one day, God interrupted his life" (p. 16).
It is this divine interruption that reveals the heart of Jonah towards God and others. Jonah was not pleased with God's will for his life, and so much so, that he tried to run the other way from God. As the book of Jonah unfolds, we see a successful prophet of God acting like the very pagans God has sent him to minister to and call to repentance. As it turns out, Jonah had some repenting of his own that he needed to do. As God wanted to pursue the Ninevites through Jonah, God pursued Jonah as well.
Jonah, though a short commentary on a short book, is packed with exegetical, historical, practical and pastoral insight. Though it is easy to look at Jonah and say how could he act in such a way to God, careful and honest readers will quickly see that none of us are much different when put into the same situations in our own lives. The response of Jonah to God is a mirror into the depths of our own hearts and what it reveals is often not pretty
Jonah is an excellent book for personal or group devotions and will serve all Christians alike.
NOTE: I received this book from Christian Focus Publications and was under no obligation to provide a favorable review. The words expressed in this review are my own.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have known the story of Jonah since I was a small child and as is always the case with God's Word the story brings fresh insight every time you read it. Colin Smith brings new insights that challenge both your understanding of the story and also how you view the ways that God intersects in our lives. From the beginning where we see the spiritual maturity of Jonah's life to the ending which isn't really about Jonah, each page brings new insight. It is a book to study, apply and pass on to a friend. Can't recommend it enough.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful book on Jonah that will help its readers learn how to be driven by a passion for Jesus Christ that shows itself in love.
June 14, 2012
Format:Paperback
Recent years have seen a resurgence of writing on the book of Jonah. The book of Jonah is well-known, but many people miss the connection between Jonah and Christ. Jonah faced a tough assignment one that would send him into the heart of one of the most violent civilizations of the ancient world. Jonah was sent by God on a mission to warn notorious terrorists of God's anger with them. In his helpful book Jonah Navigating a God-Centered Life Pastor Colin S. Smith has written an outstanding and thoughtful commentary that will help Christians to not only understand Jonah but also the connection between Jonah and the person and work of Christ.
Many Christians today struggle with the idea that God is far from them, but Jonah reminds us that God is near to us and close to the broken-hearted. Pastor Smith writes in an engaging, easy-to-understand way that will help the new or seasoned Christian understand what he is teaching them.
The author defines God-centered living as being "driven by a passion for His Son Jesus Christ that shows itself in love, trust and obedience towards Him" (7). Jonah by Pastor Smith will help its readers to not only understand God-centered living but to apply the teaching of Jonah into their own lives. As I read this book, I was struck by not only how Pastor Smith excelled at exegesis but how the story of Jonah is so applicable to our personal lives. This book will humble, convict, challenge, comfort and change lives, and will help people see themselves as they are, running from God but always brought back by God's intervention and grace. I recommend you get a copy of Jonah Navigating a God-Centered Life and learn how to be driven by a passion for Jesus Christ that shows itself in love, trust and obedience towards Him.
Title: Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life
Author: Colin S. Smith
Publisher: Christian Focus (2012)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Christian Focus book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Many Christians today struggle with the idea that God is far from them, but Jonah reminds us that God is near to us and close to the broken-hearted. Pastor Smith writes in an engaging, easy-to-understand way that will help the new or seasoned Christian understand what he is teaching them.
The author defines God-centered living as being "driven by a passion for His Son Jesus Christ that shows itself in love, trust and obedience towards Him" (7). Jonah by Pastor Smith will help its readers to not only understand God-centered living but to apply the teaching of Jonah into their own lives. As I read this book, I was struck by not only how Pastor Smith excelled at exegesis but how the story of Jonah is so applicable to our personal lives. This book will humble, convict, challenge, comfort and change lives, and will help people see themselves as they are, running from God but always brought back by God's intervention and grace. I recommend you get a copy of Jonah Navigating a God-Centered Life and learn how to be driven by a passion for Jesus Christ that shows itself in love, trust and obedience towards Him.
Title: Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life
Author: Colin S. Smith
Publisher: Christian Focus (2012)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Christian Focus book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
