Jonah 1:3

Jonah 1:3 says, But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.  Jonah had been called by God to go and witness, but he chose to attempt to run from God.  He didn't just say no, but he went to a lot of effort and at least some expense to get away from doing God's will.  If we today know that God is calling us to a specific task and we attempt to run from His calling, it is going to cost us.  It may not cost us materially, but it will cost us spiritually.  Again, we will still be God's child, but we will lose the joy of that relationship.  Jonah was actively trying to separate himself from God.  I'm not sure why he chose Tarshish, except it was away from the direction of where God wanted him to go.  Matthew Henry says it may have been the first ship he could get passage on or he may have had friends there, but for whatever reason, he chose Tarshish, he was trying to run from God.  Where do we go today if we attempt to run or hide from God?  We may not physically go anywhere, but we may run spiritually.  It is possible to be sitting in the church building and running from God.  Just as Jonah was to discover that there was no place to successfully hide from God, if we are His followers, no matter how quickly or how far we run He will always be with us.  We cannot follow God if we don't let Him lead us. When we know what He wants us to do, there is no reason to delay. We need to go quickly to do His bidding and not quickly to run away.  Jonah was willing to go and pay the expense of going, but he wanted to go his way instead of God's way.  We need to be careful that we do not do the same thing.