What did I do to myself?

Last night, I was reading the story of Jonah to my daughters. In the middle of this classic story of the runaway prophet is a profound statement that Jonah made. In 2:8, he said, "They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy."

Jonah had the choice to obey God the first time, and God would have shown mercy upon him. However, when he chose to disobey, he basically chose to forfeit that mercy. It's like when someone gets arrested, and the officer reads their rights which begins something like this, "you have the right to remain silent..." In other words, "because of the choice you made, you've given up your right to mercy!"

Rememer, YOU MAKE THE CHOICE; THEN THE CHOICE MAKES YOU!