In the sermon on the mount, Jesus doesn’t promote non-violence in a generic sense, because if He did, then we should oppose military force and army by all means. What does Jesus mean when He asks us to suffer evil committed against us and avoid vengeance? Listen to the sermon to learn more on this important topic.
Our culture is obsessed with the concept of productivity and fruitfulness, so much so that we now have apps on our phones to suggest us of what’s best next, and it is most often focused on the use of time that results in monetary benefit or up-skilling ourselves. It is a kind of “precious” commodity that is meant to satisfy us and bring a sense of joy and fulfillment. But the Bible has a very different approach to the use of time, one that produces spiritual growth, maturity, and see the need to ultimately glorify God and find our true joy in Him. In this passage, we learn what it means to live wisely for God during these times, and see what kind of fruitfulness He calls us to live.
The God of the bible is not just sovereign over Israel but over all the earth. Each incident in the book of Jonah sheds light on God’s sovereignty over man’s disobedience. It is really a book about God, and how one man came, through painful experience, to discover the true character of God.