What are you concerned about?

There are a lot of things in life that will keep us up at night concerned about something.

finances
kids
family
relationships
job
politics
school
friends
illness
health
and the list could go on and on.....

I read the book of Jonah this morning and the last two verses in the book got me thinking about this.  Now of course you probably know the story of Jonah very well.  God speaks to him and tells him to go to Nineveh (a land of corrupt people that nobody likes), and instead of going he goes in a different direction (on purpose).  God raises up a great storm, the people on board the ship find out the storm is because of Jonah running from God.  Why did he run, well because he felt the people of Nineveh where not "worthy" to receive the forgiveness of God.  He felt they where too far gone, or too corrupt.  So, the people on the ship throw him overboard and God prepared a great fish (not a whale) to swallow him.  Inside the fish he learns his lesson, repents and agrees to go to Nineveh.  God has the fish chuck him up (on a shore conveniently enough), and off he goes to proclaim God's forgiveness.  Jonah gets to Nineveh, and as you guessed it all the people repent and turn to God.  So Jonah in frustration leaves and is angry because God forgave them.  He sits on a mountainside and pouts to the point that God has enough and teaches Him a lesson about that Jonah doesn't have the right to decide who is worthy or not to receive the grace and forgiveness of God.

so here is the last verses of Jonah, and it is God speaking:

^10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. ^11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (Jon 4:10-11., NIV)

Which leads me back to this question:  What are you concerned about?

Does it keep you awake at night that there are people that don't know their left from right, or in other words there are people that don't know the difference between Jehovah God and other gods.  There are people that don't know the real way to get to heaven.  There are people that claim to be moral that don't have a clue as to where true morality comes from.  There are people who believe that politics is the answer to all their problems.

My city is walking around in a constant state of confusion, immorality, and darkness.

So does it concerned you that there are over 85,000 people in Asheville, NC and much of them cannot tell their right hand from their left?

It does me, so what do we do about it?

God didn't give up on Nineveh and He hasn't given up on Asheville, but it begins with us getting concerned enough to do something...

Chris