What's Your Sequel?

“An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.” (Nahum 1:1)

Nineveh had a good debut and an awful sequel.

They once heard a message from another prophet of Yahweh. At the threat of divine destruction, the whole city repented, “from the greatest … to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5). God spared Nineveh when he saw their repentance.

But their piety was short-lived.

Soon, they stopped surrendering to God and started scheming against him. A century after Jonah’s arrival, Nahum came with a very different message:

“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. What do you plot against the LORD? He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time.” (Nahum 1:7-9)

In part one, God sees Nineveh’s humility and opens a window of favor.

In part two, God sees Nineveh’s pride and slams the window once and for all.

The story of Nineveh is a blaring warning to Christians that a shining debut does not guarantee a solid sequel.

What went wrong? They trusted in an old season of fear and forgot to fall on their face every day.

A repentant heart needs a daily renewal.

It is for good reason that Jesus told us to ask for forgiveness alongside our daily bread (Matthew 6:9-12). The soul needs humility as often as the stomach needs food. If it’s a new day, we are due for a renewal of repentance.

Those who lean on past spiritual fervor leave their faith open to the elements. Soon, the webs of worldliness and the rust of conceit corrode the heart. It takes a daily renewal of repentance to maintain and increase the shine of the Spirit over the passing seasons.

Where is the sequel of your story heading?

Are you going each day to the throne of grace? Or are you forgetting that you need it? It is one or the other.

No matter our circumstances, the daily decision to fear the Lord determines whether we will waste away or be "renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).