Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “God’s Love, Jonah’s Patriotism.” Assyria was a very powerful country in the north that harassed Israel. Because Jonah had patriotism, he thought that Nineveh, which was the capital of Assyria, should receive judgment. His human judgment, however, belonged to human will. Everything would be okay if only Israel could prosper, but any country that harassed her should be ruined. His thoughts went beyond God’s will. Jonah rebelled against God’s will, but he wanted to establish his own will so he went on board the ship and fled from Him, but was caught with a strong storm and drowned and ended up within a big fish. Jonah disobeyed the will of God and took a ship that was headed to Tarshish and ran away from God. He was a prophet of Israel. God prophesied through His prophet that Assyria would be destroyed. “The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.”(Jonah 1:1-3) Tarshish was the opposite to the north. A great storm was raging against the ship which Jonah went aboard to flee to the south instead of going to the north. “Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.”(Jonah 1:4) The sailors and passengers wanted to know who was responsible for the calamity by casting lots. “Then the sailors said to each other, ‘Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.’ They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.”(Jonah 1:7) "‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea,’ he replied, ‘and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.’ Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried to the LORD, ‘O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased.’ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.”(Jonah 1:12-15) They picked up Jonah and threw him away into the sea. Even raging sea became calm because it swallowed Jonah. However, God prepared a way out for him to survive the stormy sea. He would drown sooner or later, but God didn’t let him drown because he must finish the calling God gave to him. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” Therefore, when you suffer from hardship, do not fear or be discouraged. God will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. He said that He had already prepared a way out. Even before Jonah was thrown away from the ship, God prepared a big fish to swallow him. God would not let him be tempted beyond what he could bear, but also provide a way out for him. Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. while repented his sins. There he listened to the sound of the heartbeat of a big fish and felt dizzy while it swam up and down through the high waves. He must have been befuddled by dizziness for three days. “But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.”(Jonah 1:17) Nowadays people might mock us while saying how a big fish could carry in its stomach a person. However, a big fish carrying Jonah inside is nothing compared to a current submarine carrying many soldiers inside. God can do anything He wants to do. Even though God sent a great storm to prevent Jonah from going a wrong way, but provided a big fish for him. He did this to let him not to suffer too much from a heavy storm. When Jonah faced a storm, he turned around to Nineveh. When we find that we are going the wrong way while driving, we must make a U-turn right away. In our life there are sometimes we should make a U-turn. When we find that we disobey God and go our own way to end up in the wrong way, we should make a U-turn and change directions. It is a great storm that makes us realize that we go the wrong way. English Christian writer, C. S. Lewis said that suffering is God’s loudspeaker. When we keep going against the word of God, He makes us realize through suffering. We’d better check if we do wrong and disobey God in the midst of our unexpected mental and physical agony. God will harass us until we repent of our sins and mistakes. Jonah preached the gospel to the Nineveh to repent and believe in God and the Holy Spirit worked among them mightly penetrating their hearts so they cried out and repented of their sins and wore sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Not only ordinary people but also the king did the same thing. “When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.”(Jonah 3:6) The king sat down in the dust. It must have been a great thing. Even animals fasted. “Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.”(Jonah 3:7-8) The King issued a proclamation: Let man and beast fast and kneel down before God and repent in the dust. Fasting forces oneself to suffer willingly. Fasting is very difficult. Furthermore, they were forbidden to drink water so it must have been much harder for them to endure. God takes a pity on fasting prayer. When we suffer beyond our ability, we’d better fast and pray before God. God will hear our prayer through our pain and suffering. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He stopped His judgement. “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.”(Jonah 3:10) When they repented of their sins sincerely, God forgave them and ceased His judgement. However, Jonah kept insisting condemnation and judgement from God. Even after God proclaimed that He wouldn’t punish Nineveh, Jonah claimed that He should destroy Nineveh; he went out and made himself a shelter at a place east of the city and waited to see what would happen to the city. He thought that he was right but they were evil and that he must be exempt from God’s judgement but they must be punished. Jonah built a shelter at a place east of the city and waited for God’s judgement to come upon it. “Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.”(Jonah 4:5) “Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine.”(Jonah 4:6) However, God let a worm chew the vine so that it withered overnight! “But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.”(Jonah 4:7) “When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, ‘It would be better for me to die than to live.’ 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.’” (Jonah 4:8-9) God taught Jonah that He forgave Nineveh with His compassion and kindness. “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 4:10-11) "‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.’”(Joel 2:12-13) God wants to forgive and save us. Ezekiel 18:23 says, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” Jesus also said in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Therefore, whosoever repents of his sin and comes before God will be forgiven and saved by Him. When the New Year begins, many people have their own plans for it. However, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”(proverbs 16:9) God loves to give us dreams and hope while guiding us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” This is God’s will toward His children. Therefore, as we start this New Year, we must embrace dreams and hope in our hearts. Even though God has a wonderful plan for our future, if we don’t have any dream, we will end up with being where we are now! However, if we move forward with dreams and hope, God will give us marvelous changes and development. When we obey God’s will, He will work for us to make our dreams come true. You know, whatever you do focus on it! With a purpose in it concentrate on it and then the Spirit of God will work for us. Don’t do this or that, but concentrate on your goal and then embrace dreams about it. Dreams are like a traveling bag. You should prepare a traveling bag for your journey so you can put something in it or bring something in it. If you want something, you must embrace dreams about it. When you have dreams, you must decide whether you believe it or not. If your faith is small, its fruit will be small while your faith is huge its fruit will be huge, too. It is because the Bible says that it will be done according to your faith. And then always confess with your mouth that as God is with you everything will be done. God says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. By his wounds you have been healed. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap." When we put the words of God’s promises in our heads and memorize them, they will bear much fruit. In this New Year I bless you in the name of the Lord that you will live a prosperous life spiritually and physically and materially and have life to the full.