Down or Up?

The word “down” traces the path of Jonah’s life when tried to flee from the Lord’s presence. He went down to Joppa (1:3), where he boarded a ship bound for Tarshish. Once on board, he went down into the ship’s hull (1:5). When a raging storm threatened to doom the ship, the sailors tossed him overboard. He went down into the sea, where a great fish appointed by the Lord swallowed him. Jonah’s rebellion ended after he went down into the belly of the great fish.

The Christian who obeys the Lord follows the upward way. God has brought us “up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay” (Psalm 40:2). He has exhorted us to wake up, because our salvation is nearer than when we first believed (Romans 13:11), to look up to Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), to cheer up (John 16:33), and to live up to the potential He has invested in us (1 Corinthians 4:2; 6:20; 10:31).

Someday, Jesus will take us up to Heaven. Until He comes for us, let’s stand up for Him!