Suggested Reading the entire story of Jonah found in the Book of Jonah in the Old Testament
In the story of Jonah we see where God instructs his prophet Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh and to preach against the evil that was going on in the city. Well Jonah has other ideas and decides to run away from God by going to Tarshish. As a result of his disobedience those around him are trust into a very dangerous and terrible storm. As we continue on in the story Jonah is cast off the ship in the midst of the storm and suddenly the sea becomes calm.
Well the obvious moral to this story is to follow the commands of God or else we may wind up just as Jonah did in the midst of a terrible storm or face the storms of life as a result of our disobedience. However another point for us to notice is the affects of our disobedience on others. We find those travelling with Jonah are put in harms way because of Jonah's disobedience. One might ask why would God allow such a thing to happen to innocent people?
First of all when we neglect to do what God tells us to that act in itself causes problems because we are not reaching those that need our help that's why God is sending us in the first place. Secondly we should always be aware of who we associate with because disobedience just like sin spreads. Just as Adams original sin literally put creation into caos. Jonah's disobedience caused a similiar chain reaction to those around him. People suffer because of our sin as well as our disobedience because just like a virus we spread our sin and disobedience to others.
It is so important that we stay in touch with God through prayer and reading his Holy word our Manual for this life. We are a hinderance and a serious liability to ourselves as well as those around us when we refuse to follow God's purpose and plan for our lives. Be encouraged and obedient Minister Mike.