"But God said to Jonah, ‘Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?’ ‘I do,’ he said. ‘ I am angry enough to die.’ But the Lord said, ‘You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?’" (Jonah 4:9-11 NIV)
God provided a vine to cover Jonah’s shelter, and make a shade. The vine was killed by a pesky, little worm, which God also provided. God then sent a scorching east wind that caused Jonah to want to die. He was angry, which literally translates as "hot." (Jonah 4:6-8) Jonah’s concern seemed to be misplaced. He was focusing his attention on these small, temporary things when God’s concern was over the thousands of lives to be lost if Nineveh was destroyed.
How many of us cry over a broken piece of Grandma’s china, and don’t really even think about the person in the next office who has absolutely no knowledge about God’s grace. God was calling Jonah, "on the carpet," for being more concerned about his own needs than those of the Ninevites. He had called all of Israel to be a blessing to the rest of the world. "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3 NIV) At this point, Jonah was representative of Israel and God’s desire for the message of repentance and redemption to be shared. He has called us to share this same message. "And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’" (Acts 3:25 NIV)
Where are your concerns? I often find myself concerned over the very small things that will not matter five years from now. I tend to fall in the trap of being more concerned about getting the housework done, than making time to research and write for these devotions. Which could make more of a difference in someone else’s life? Which one will mean more in five years? Which one can bring greater glory to God? Both are good, but one is better.
"Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her."
(Luke 10:42 NAS)