Go!, Take Two Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Go!, Take Two Keywords: "obedience" "wasted time" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. The three-minute Bible studies for May 21-24, are all taken from the Old Testament prophecy of Jonah. You can find the book of Jonah in its entirety by going to eXXit’s home page and clicking on "Search Systems." Type in "Jonah" in the "Passage" window and hit ENTER. The book of Jonah will appear. Enjoy! Passage: Jonah 3:1-10* 1. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2. "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you." 3. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk. 4. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." 5. Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered {himself} with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes. 7. And he issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8. "But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9. "Who knows, God may turn and relent, and withdraw His burning anger so that we shall not perish?" 10. When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do {it.} Questions 1. What happened when Jonah disobeyed God’s command the first time? 2. God’s command to Jonah the first time (see the eXXit three-minute Bible study on Jonah chapter 1) was to go to the city of Nineveh and preach to the people there. Chapter 3 doesn’t actually state what God’s command was the second time. What do you think it was? 3. How do you think Jonah must have felt when "the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time"?   Practical help One thing about God — He doesn’t change. When Jonah said "No!" to God’s command, God didn’t change His command to suit Jonah’s preferences. No, God got Jonah’s attention with a storm, reeled Jonah back in with a whale, sat him down and said, "I was serious the first time. I’m still serious. Go to Nineveh!" When a Christian (click here to know how to become one) starts off on a road that leads to sexual impurity, God works in his life to turn him back. Gently at first, but He won’t let that Christian alone. He may send storms. The Christian may even feel swallowed by the painful consequences of his actions. And after all is said and done, God won’t say, "Well, OK, if you want to play with fire, view pornography, have a ‘relationship’ with a video image, purposefully lust, and even overtly act out your fantasies with real people, I’ll give in and let you." No, God sits us down after we have tasted hard consequences and speaks to us as He did to Jonah, "I’m serious about this purity stuff. Knock off the pornography viewing. It’s bad for you and for those around you. To try and travel to Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3, it was a place of supposed safety and joy, but out of the will of God for Jonah) is a waste of time. You’ll never get there. God won’t let you. Might as well go to the place of God’s choosing, Nineveh, as soon as possible. Even if it seems difficult, that’s the place where joy is found. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 1999, 2004 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."