Like Thy Brother Jonah

This semester in our Youth Staff devotional on Monday mornings, we have been reading Surprised by Grace by Tullian Tchvidjian. The author takes a close look at the story of Jonah and shows how it is more than a story of a man being swallowed by a great fish, rather it is a testament to the grace of God to rebelling sinners. In fact, the subtitle is God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels. The title fits all of us because we are rebels in need of grace. The author's primary objective is to get you to see how we are just like Jonah. We see that God doesn't pursue Jonah only once in this story during the storm, but actually, the entire story is about God relentlessly pursuing both Jonah and Ninevah and calling both to repentance.
More and more, I begin to see just how much like Jonah I really am. Even though I have been saved by God, my heart is still sinful and will still run away from God and after idols. God's grace is not a one time deal. I know from my own life that I am in constant need of the Father's grace. It is only by His sovereign mercy in my life that restrains me from following the sinful desires of my heart to my own ruin. Why don't we see how destructive sin is in our lives? Why would we ever want to trade the glorious gift of life for things that can only bring us death?