An Undivided Heart | Jonah and the Whale | Pastor Steve Andres

How do you react to disappointments? Jonah preaches to Nineveh, and the whole city repents. But then, in a twist of the story, Jonah is angry and complains to God.Jonah 4:3-5Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah had gone 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 should have been grateful to see change in the city, but his motives are mixed, and his heart is divided. James 1 says, “A double-minded person is unstable in all they do.” What does Jonah teach us about our hearts?1) Everyone begins their relationship with God for selfish reasons.When we come to God, it is almost always out of self-interest, but God still accepts us! Once we begin to see God, our hearts change from seeing him as useful, to seeing him as beautiful.2) Everyone needs to tend to their heart regularly.The daily disciplines of scripture reading, prayer and confession are meant to help us lead our hearts toward wholeness and devotion to God.3) Everyone needs to experience the grace of God to have an undivided heart.Every rival god in our hearts demands our utter devotion, but leaves us empty-handed. With God, it’s the opposite.The grace of God is shorthand for how Jesus gave everything for us, so we could be free to love God with an undivided heart!