Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life

by Colin S. Smith

Facing an assignment equivalent to being sent to warn notorious terrorists of God's anger with them, perhaps it was no wonder that Jonah ran away – certainly portrayed in Scripture as no “super saint”, he avoided God and His call on his life. Yet God turned the situation around as pagan sailors encountered the living God who made the land and sea and the entire population of a city realised that although they deserved to be wiped off the face of the earth, there was a God of compassion and mercy who forgave them.

God's mercy is greater than our failures and through adverse circumstances and pain, a character of Christ-like compassion is chiseled out.

Genres: Christian, Devotional, Christian Living

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Colin Smith was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He came to personal faith in Christ at the age of six, and sensed God's call to pastoral ministry early in life. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Master of Philosophy from London Bible College. Before coming to the States in 1996, Colin served as the Senior Pastor of the Enfield Evangelical Free Church in London for 16 years. While in London, he was active in the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches in England; and served the Fellowship as president.Colin currently serves as Senior Pastor of the The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is committed to preaching the Bible in a way that nourishes the soul by directing attention to Jesus Christ. He has published several books and is the teacher of the popular evangelistic video series, 10 Keys for Unlocking the Bible Story.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a rewarding and convicting read for me. I am ashamed to admit how much I missed when I would read through the book of Jonah in the bible. I highly recommend reading this book alongside your reading of scripture.

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say this will be one of my favorites for reading in 2012. It was conversational, engaging and it was very insightful in the life of Jonah. The life of Jonah is full of the Gospel. It shows who God is, our heart and delivers us from our own short-comings. One of the insights that I appreciated was if God cared only about getting his work done, he would have ditched Jonah and sent someone else to Nineveh. God was doing a work in Jonah that reveals our hearts even today. Busyiness is not obedience is just one example. God is all about interruptions, those interruptions in life, are there to break the idols that have captured our hearts. Where we live a self-centered life instead of a God-centered life. Jonah thru God's judgement experienced God's mercy. Who else would be a great example to the people of Nineveh. Believe me you will have underlined many statements in this book such as "Faith prevails over despair when you fix your eyes on the grace of God rather than your own failure." When we are running on pride, such as Jonah our focus in on ourselves. The great and wonderful thing about grace is that it makes repentance possible. Smith stresses the importance of the word in our ministry. It is food, it is medicine, it is life giving and changing. To many good things to mention about who our God is. Loved this book!

[Pathway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read

Used as resource for teaching series, very helpful and enjoyable. Helped bring Jonah way beyond a man in the belly of a fish story.

[Josh Withrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully relevant book about a story that most of us think we know, but we probably don't. Very accessible to anyone.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! For me there were so many “a ha!” moments. I can’t wait to use this book for my youth group’s study of the book of Jonah. Each chapter takes a portion of the book of Jonah and teaches us some great truths. Really enjoyed it! Highly recommended

[Samuel Bierig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been the best work Ive read per Jonah. I have interacted with/read about 10 other works, and this is by far the best. I read this one in its entirety because I found it quite compelling.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good, quick read. I'm not sure what to call it; it's part extended paraphrase, part narrative, part Christian living. The story of Jonah sort of sits in the background of a discussion of what a Christian life will look like, though that's not to say it's only background. Smith does a good job explaining in easy-to-read exposition what was going on in the Jonah narrative and how it applies to today. There are some difficult concepts in Jonah and Smith does a good job explaining those in general terms without over-complicated the issue (e.g. prayer, God's sovereignty).

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book. It brings depth to the story of Jonah and consistency how this story is connected to the rest of the Bible. I learned a lot from this book. And also used it towards myself. Jonah was "selfish" (also from fear of course) and angry at God for giving grace to the people. From the book I could see why Jonah was that way and how I stand in this. I learned about God's compassion.

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book is an absolute gem. Essential reading for anyone teaching Jonah, and immensely edifying for any Christian. Highly recommended. When I see the little "Focus Publishing" fish logo on the side of a book, I generally trust it will be excellent literature. I was not disappointed with this volume.

[Rebecca Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripped my soul!

I pray God keeps using Colin Smith for many, many more years!
This book is for everyday believer- young, old, mature in Christ or otherwise. Will leave an indelible picture of how amazing our God is. I am truly grateful for His mercy, grace and loving kindness to somebody like me.

[Helena Harned · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Calvinist. Thought provoking re: Jonah as a prophet (someone close to God) who also sins badly and writes an honest retelling.

[Lisa Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't see that coming

A more rounded view than someone running from duty. It was not about Jonah after all but rather about how much God loves us. Well done!

[Phil Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've really been spiritually fed by this little book that digs deep into the book of Jonah. Really clear, well applied, challenging and encouraging.

[Craig Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever been in a position in your career when things were going just great and you wouldn’t change a thing? Your job as CEO is going well or your church where you pastor is growing in all the right ways as a result of God working through your faithfulness to His Word. What would you do or say if God told you to quit your plush job at your fortune 500 company for an entry level management position at a no name company because He wanted you to turn it around and be a witness to the other employees there? What would you do or say to God is He told you to resign from your senior pastorate position at a large growing church to start a church in the Arizona desert in a small no name town?

This is the kind of situation we find Jonah in. In his most recent book, Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life, Colin S. Smith takes us through the book of Jonah as we see how Jonah responded to God’s call in his life to leave his successful ministry among Israel in his hometown of Gath Hepher for a less than desirable ministry of evangelism in Ninevah among Israel’s most feared enemies. As Smith observes, Jonah “was living his dream until, one day, God interrupted his life” (p. 16).

It is this divine interruption that reveals the heart of Jonah towards God and others. Jonah was not pleased with God’s will for his life, and so much so, that he tried to run the other way from God. As the book of Jonah unfolds, we see a successful prophet of God acting like the very pagans God has sent him to minister to and call to repentance. As it turns out, Jonah had some repenting of his own that he needed to do. As God wanted to pursue the Ninevites through Jonah, God pursued Jonah as well.

Jonah, though a short commentary on a short book, is packed with exegetical, historical, practical and pastoral insight. Though it is easy to look at Jonah and say how could he act in such a way to God, careful and honest readers will quickly see that none of us are much different when put into the same situations in our own lives. The response of Jonah to God is a mirror into the depths of our own hearts and what it reveals is often not pretty

Jonah is an excellent book for personal or group devotions and will serve all Christians alike.

NOTE: I received this book from Christian Focus Publications and was under no obligation to provide a favorable review. The words expressed in this review are my own.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can usually gauge how much of a book impresses me by how much I mark it up. This book is FULL of highlights and markings.

The book of Jonah in the Bible has so much depth (pun used in all seriousness), and Colin Smith explores it from the angle of having God in the center of your life. We see it in everyone in the book of Jonah but for Jonah himself.

Challenging and thought provoking. Possibly a book I will come back to year after year.

[Mark A Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonah provides a powerful witness for Christians who, though confident in God’s Word, may find themselves struggling to obey His leading. When our comfort is challenged, we often face the temptation to run as Jonah did. Working through Jonah’s confession, Smith engagingly provides insight into the obedience required of believers. Smith writes with the aplomb of a long-tenured pastor who has cared for people and immersed his life in the Word, crafting a wonderfully beneficial book.

[Seth Hein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. He takes difficult theological topics like the sovereignty of God and unpacks them clearly and simply. I found the book very easy to follow and personally challenging.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent