Living Outloud: when Obedience Isn’t Safe
Some stories in Scripture sit comfortably next to each other. Jonah and Hosea are not those stories. Put them side by side and the contrast is jarring—almost uncomfortable. Jonah is sent to preach judgment to a violent empire and runs the other way because he suspects God might actually forgive them. Hosea is sent to marry an unfaithful woman and stay, embodying God’s relentless love in the middle of heartbreak.
Different callings, same question underneath:
Do we obey because we trust God, or because we like the outcome we expect?
Jonah tries to control the result. Hosea releases the result.
And if we’re honest, most of us live somewhere between those two men—wanting to follow God, but only when the path feels predictable, applauded, or emotionally tidy.
Scripture flips that instinct upside down. Faithfulness—not a forecast—is the measure of obedience.
When “Peace” Isn’t Proof
One of our favorite spiritual escape hatches is the phrase, “I just have peace about this.” It sounds holy. It feels wise. But Jonah had enough “peace” to nap through a storm while running from God. And Jesus had zero emotional peace in Gethsemane while obeying perfectly.
If peace can accompany rebellion and anguish can accompany obedience, then our feelings can’t be our compass. They’re helpful data, but they’re not direction.
Obedience starts somewhere else entirely:
Listening to God’s heart in Scripture
Seeking wise, honest counsel
Paying attention to the Spirit’s nudges
Testing our motives, not just our emotions
Sometimes that path leads to joy. Other times it leads straight through grief, sacrifice, or costly love. Either way, the question remains the same:
Is this faithful to God’s call, regardless of how I feel today?
When Repentance Shows Up in the “Wrong” People
Jonah’s story exposes another uncomfortable truth: sometimes we don’t like who God forgives. Nineveh repents, and Jonah fumes. He wanted justice, not mercy.
We do the same thing in modern ways:
A celebrity shares a testimony and we roll our eyes.
Someone from a political party we dislike turns toward God and we nitpick motives.
A person with a messy past repents and we predict backsliding instead of celebrating grace.
Hosea, on the other hand, shows us God’s posture: pursuing love that welcomes sinners before they change.
Grace is the door. Transformation is the journey that follows.
If we carry God’s name, we carry God’s posture.
When Fear Silences Us
Fear of rejection is powerful. It keeps us quiet when we should speak hope. It keeps us distant when we should move toward people.
Hosea walks into likely rejection and loves anyway.
Jonah withholds good news because he fears the wrong people might receive mercy.
Both fears weaponize outcomes.
Both fears shrink obedience down to self-protection.
The antidote is surrender—letting God handle the results while we handle faithfulness.
Our job is simple, even if it’s not easy:
Reflect God’s character
Tell the truth with kindness
Move toward people, not away
Trust God with the fallout
Some will receive it. Some won’t. Neither response defines our obedience.
What Faithfulness Looks Like on Tuesday Afternoon
Faithfulness is rarely dramatic. It’s usually small, costly, and quiet. It might look like:
Initiating a hard conversation with humility
Serving someone who cannot repay you
Forgiving someone who will not apologize
Sharing your story with someone you distrust
Reworking your time or budget to match God’s priorities
None of that guarantees applause. What it guarantees is integrity—a life that actually matches what we say we believe.
Faithfulness isn’t flashy. But it is formative.
Over time, it shapes us into people who can carry God’s love without filtering it through fear.
The Question That Won’t Leave Us Alone
Are we willing to obey when the outcome is unknown or unwanted?
Will we bless repentance wherever it appears?
Can we speak when rejection looms and stay when love costs us?
Jonah and Hosea stand like two signposts on the road of discipleship.
One warns us against controlling mercy.
The other invites us into costly fidelity.
What does obedience mean for you today?
