Devotional: Worried About Plants More Than People

You would think that a repentant people would lead to a rejoicing heart. But that was not the case for Jonah. He was more worried about plants than people!

Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “Yes,” he replied. “It is right. I’m angry enough to die!” So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night. Should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals? (Jonah 4:9-11, HCSB)

Jonah had finally gotten his life on track with God's plan. He had done exactly what God had asked Him to do. The people responded with repentance, and God spared their lives; yet Jonah still had a problem.

I wonder if we miss all great things God is doing in people's lives because we are worrying more about the plants? What gets us bent out of shape at church might reveal something about what we worry more about.

Do we worry more about . . .

• The room temperature?
• The availability of coffee?
• The church schedule?
• The music selection?
• The . . . . ?????

. . . than we do people?

If we do, then we might be like Jonah. His problem was not the plant but his heart. The plant only revealed the heart problem.

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Father, we can easily get bent out of shape over things that aren't eternally significant. Help us to protect ourselves from being more concerned about plants than people. Help us to lead our groups to love people, God's crowning creation and made in His image, more than plants.