Jonah 1:1-3 - The word of the LORD came to Jonah....saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

• Jonah Wasn't Interested In His New Job Assignment  

God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach. Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh and preach. Why wouldn't a prophet want to go and preach? This was a major part of their job description. 
 
Was Jonah afraid of the people?
 
After all God said, "Their wickedness has come up before Him." No, Jonah wasn't afraid of them. That wasn’t the problem?
 
Jonah believed the people of Nineveh would repent. What?
 
You heard me correctly. He didn't want this job assignment because in his mind if he preached the people of Nineveh would repent, if they repented God would forgive them and he didn't want them to be forgiven.
 
WOW!  

• The Time It Happened To Me 

I was just like Jonah one day. Please forgive me when I tell you this but I experienced a similar situation while in the ministry.
 
I was asked to go to a prison and visit a convicted child molester by a family member who was a member of the church.
 
I DID NOT WANT MY JOB ASSIGNMENT. I was like Jonah.
 
I didn’t want to go visit that person in prison. I was like Jonah.

I will tell you this I did go but it took me allowing the Spirit of God to work on my spirit because my flesh didn’t want to visit that person. 

• What About Your Experience? 

When was the last time you weren't interested in your new job assignment?
 
Maybe your assignment was from God, your parents, your spouse or your employer.
 
You know you should do it but the only thing on your mind is running from your obligation. 

• So What Is A Person To Do When Faced With This Type Of Situation? 

1. Do Some Introspection. What has been going on in your life? Have you been sick or stressed out in other ways? When we're tired we have a tendency to allow things to bother us that usually never do. Do yourself a favor and get some rest. 
 
2. Don't Make Any Hasty Decisions. One of my favorite passages of scripture is "And it shall come to pass..." What you're going through has a life span and it'll be over before you realize it.
 
3. Do Your Assignment With The Best Possible Attitude. Remembering that everything we do is to bring glory to God.
 
Can you imagine how difficult it would've been to listen to Jonah's messages?
He would have been preaching with an attitude and not a pleasant one, I might add. The scripture says he was angry.
 
Jonah 4:1-2 - But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD and said, "Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.  

• God Wanted The People Of Nineveh To Change 

God was giving the people of Nineveh a chance to hear His Word and repent.

God has given us a chance to hear the Gospel and repent. He also wants us to give other people the opportunity to hear the Gospel and repent.

• Have You Ever Had A Job Assignment You Didn't Like?

I am quite sure we all have had a job assignment that we didn't like doing. The next time one arises in your life try to remember this Pump Up.

God always wants us to be the best we can be especially when doing job assignments we don't like.
 
In what ways today does God want us to change so that we can be like the people of Nineveh?

Think on This:
 
When looking for faults use a  mirror, not a telescope.

The man who thinks he has no faults has at least one.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word

Prov. 22:10 - Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out,
Even strife and dishonor will cease.    NASU 

• The Scoffer 

Here is one definition of a scoffer: the manifestation of contempt by insulting words or actions; it combines bitterness with ridicule. (from ISBE, Copyright © 1996, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
 
The scoffer is the one person on your team you can do without.
 
This person is constantly mocking other people with either words or their actions. When you catch them mocking someone and you call them out on this they are going to say, "I was only joking around. What you can't make any jokes around here?"
 
NO, they weren't just joking around. They were causing contention; they were starting to divide your team. (When I use the word "team" its intended meaning is either a sports team or work team.)
 
The longer you allow this person to be on your team the more damage you are going to have to repair. This will only take away from what you really are supposed to be doing, accomplishing the goals you have set for your team. 

• Results Of Removing The Scoffer 

The writer of this proverb says, "Contention, strife and dishonor will all leave once the scoffer is driven out." You can see the scoffer is not going to go on his/her own. You have to drive them out or drive them off your team. You have to show them the door.
 
This is not an easy thing to accomplish, but if you are a leader you already know that the tough decisions have to be made by you.
 
You cannot have constant contention on a winning team. When you remove the scoffer you will be removing contention, strife and dishonor.

As a leader have you ever thought, "Man, I would like a little peace and quiet?" If you want peace and quiet you will have to remove the scoffer from your team, if you have one on it. 

• Results Of Leaving A Scoffer On Your Team 

I would say we look no further than the Miami Dolphins and Richie Incognito. They left him on the team and have had nothing but bad publicity and strife ever since. (He is now no longer on the team and I would bet the Head Coach and owner is glad to have that distraction behind them.)
 
One thing you will want to remember and that is scoffers many times are really talented. Your first thought is "I hate to lose them." or you may also think, "How am I going to replace them?" What you really need to be thinking is how much greater your team is going to be when the contentious person is removed.
 
You really need to remember this: A scoffer on your team will make you regret the day you hired him/her or recruited him/her. You would be better to replace them with someone who has half the talent, but doesn't cause dissension and strife within the team.

Always remember your team can do without a scoffer.

Think On These:
The bigger a man's head gets the easier it is to fill his shoes.
 
The man who is self-centered is off-centered.
 
Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word