https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260924dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion “And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh?” Jonah 4:11 An Unanswered Question A good plot reveals a problem that needs a solution. Then, the rest of the story resolves that problem. Maybe you’ve watched a movie that doesn’t work that way. The final credits roll, and the plot seems unresolved. The problem remains, or the answer doesn’t seem complete. The question in todays’ Bible reading is from the last verse in the book of Jonah. God is speaking to his messenger Jonah. Jonah has complained that God is unfair for not destroying the wicked city of Nineveh. And he’s complained that God is unfair for letting a worm kill a vine that shaded Jonah’s head. For selfish reasons, Jonah cares about the vine, but he doesn’t care about a whole city of people in danger of being destroyed by God. God asks him this searching question, “Shouldn’t I be concerned about this great city filled with people who need my love?” We don’t hear Jonah’s answer. How would we answer? We might say, “Of course, God should be concerned about these people.” But are we? Do our lives ever reveal that we are more concerned about our own comfort than about telling people about Jesus? Do we let the differences that separate us from others keep us from sharing with them the news of the Savior who is for all? Do we let our lives get so filled up with our own busyness that we don’t have time to make sure our children are hearing God’s Word? God’s question for Jonah confronts us too. Let’s rejoice that God was concerned not only for the great city of Nineveh but for a world of sinners in every century and millennium in need of his mercy. His concern wouldn’t let him sit idly by. It caused him to send his Son, Jesus, to seek and save the lost, suffering and dying for sinners—for you, for me, for all. Because he did, we don’t have to fear death and hell. What amazing grace! May God’s love move us to act in loving concern for a world of people like us who need his amazing grace, too. Prayer: Lord, forgive me for my selfishness with your amazing grace. Give me a heart like yours that wants all to be saved. Amen.   Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260923dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion “And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” Jonah 4:11 Amazing Grace for All Every day we get to choose how we will spend our time, our money, and our energy. Good time and money management often means deciding what matters most and putting those things first. When God asks, “Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people…?” it may seem like he is saying that, because Nineveh is a big city, it is worthy of my time and attention. But what if you don’t live in a big city? Or even if you do, how do you know if God is concerned about you? How do you know if God loves you? Listen to the rest of God’s question: “Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” You see, God is concerned for the lowest of the low, with no qualities that make them worth saving and no ability to help themselves. And that’s exactly whom God loves. God is concerned about the young and old, rich and poor, the strong and the disabled, people of every culture and language. That’s good news, because it means he is concerned about you, no matter how small or insignificant you may feel. His concern for you led him to make you his top priority. He gave everything for you, including his only Son, so that, no matter who you are, you can know that you are loved, forgiven, and cherished. You can live confidently in that love and be sure that nothing will take his amazing grace away from you. Prayer: Jesus, thank you for loving me, no matter how small I feel. Amen.   Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260922dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion [Jonah] prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah 4:2-3 Too Much Grace Jonah was a messenger God sent to Nineveh, a city known for its wickedness, cruelty, and immorality. Jonah’s message was, “God is going to destroy Nineveh because of your wickedness.” Jonah was from Israel, a nation that witnessed that wickedness firsthand. You would think he would be eager to go and tell them that God was going to destroy them. But instead, he ran the other way. After Jonah fled, was swallowed by a fish, and was spit out on the shore, he finally went where God told him to. And when he preached, something amazing happened. The people were sorry for what they did and prayed for God’s mercy. When he saw this, God decided not to destroy them. Instead, he had mercy on them. And Jonah’s reaction? “It’s not fair. I knew you weren’t going to punish them. That’s just the kind of gracious, compassionate God you are. You show too much grace.” Do we ever think like that? Wickedness spreads like an unstoppable virus. It infects our schools, our communities, even our families. We experience hatred and hurt from other people. And hatred grows in our hearts against them. We don’t want to forgive, and we don’t think God should either. But if God’s grace had limits, if there are things God won’t or can’t forgive, will he forgive me for holding a grudge or harboring hatred in my heart? Will his grace reach the selfish corners of my heart that only God can see? Praise God that his grace is for all! It is never too much. It is just what we need. Because of God’s grace, we are forgiven. That’s great news to hear and to share! Prayer: God, thank you for loving and forgiving me in your amazing grace. Amen.   Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.