“But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.” - Jonah 1:3

If you have read the story of Jonah, then you know he is the one who was swallowed by the whale. He was swallowed because of his disobedience to God. God asked him to go to Nineveh, and instead, Jonah goes the exact opposite way to Tarshish, which was over 3,000 miles in the other direction.

Jonah 1:3 says, “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.”

What is interesting though is that to go to Tarshish, he first had to get on a boat at Joppa. To get on this boat, Jonah had to pay. Don’t miss this: sometimes sin will cost you everything you got. Sin is costly.

When you run from God, it will cost you more than you want to pay and make you stay longer than you want to stay. It always seems good in the moment. It makes us want it “right now.” But you will always look back and regret it after the moment of instant gratification.

In what area or areas of your life is sin costing you? “Cost” could come in a variety of different ways. Sin could be costing you money. It could be costing you time. It could be costing you relationships. It could be costing you your future.

What is sin costing you? Is it worth it?