Verse of the Week:
Jonah 4:2b "I knew that you are a GRACIOUS AND COMPASSIONATE GOD, SLOW TO ANGER AND ABOUNDING IN LOVE, A GOD WHO RELENTS FROM SENDING CALAMITY."The Heart of God
My heart breaks over the tragedies that have taken place the past few months with the Boston Marathon bombing, Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, and even the Colorado movie theater shooting. People's bright futures were taken away from them through death, and other people's lives were changed dramatically due to the violence of four men. Shame on these evil men for causing so much pain, fear, and heart-ache. What were they thinking? God will judge them for what they have done! They do not deserve mercy! Right?.....
Every day I see something bad plastered on facebook about Obama, our politicians, liberals, homosexuals, abortionists, etc. Those people deserve put downs because of all the things they do that are against the Bible. God has no place in their immoral lives! Right?.....
I talk to friends all the time about the hurt and pain their family or back-stabbing friends have brought them. "I am never going to forgive them for how they treated me!" "If they don't treat me right, then I won't treat them right!" "They have caused me too much pain, they don't deserve to be happy after they way they treated me!" Right?....
What does God think?
Lets look at a common Bible story that most of us heard growing up...the story of Jonah. God had ask Jonah to go to Nineveh a Gentile city, to preach because the city was growing very wicked. You have to understand, Jews during those days, NEVER associated with the Gentiles, it simply wasn't done! The Gentiles were considered an unclean race, and Jews by law were required not to associate with them. So Jonah decided to flee by boat so that he wouldn't have to go to Nineveh and associate with unclean people. However, God, caring so much for the people in Nineveh, sent a great storm on the boat to bring Jonah back. Jonah was dumped overboard, and a great big fish swallowed him and spit him back up on shore.
After much resistance, Jonah finally went to Nineveh to preach. While he was there, he began to proclaim that God was going to destroy Nineveh in 40 days. The Ninevites heard the message and began to fast and call upon God while giving up their evil ways. God, seeing that the Ninevites were turning from their evil ways and were asking Him for mercy, had compassion and did not destroy them. This angered Jonah. Jonah 4: 2 says this, "He prayed to the Lord, 'O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee Tarshish. I knew that you are a GRACIOUS AND COMPASSIONATE GOD, SLOW TO ANGER AND ABOUNDING IN LOVE, A GOD WHO RELENTS FROM SENDING CALAMITY." Jonah knew God's motive wasn't to destroy Nineveh but to give them mercy and love. God doesn't want anyone to perish. In 2 Peter 3:9 we hear of God's desire of wanting everyone to be saved, not condemned. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. God doesn't want anyone to perish or condemned. Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save it. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17
God has a heart for sinners....
Ninevah was a very wicked city. In fact, God said that they "cannot tell their right hand from their left..." (Jonah 4:11) In other words, they didn't even understand their wickedness, yet God wanted them saved.
Lets look at the human heart...
In Chapter 4, Jonah made a place for himself outside of the city of Nineveh to see if God would still destroy the city. He is so happy when God grew a vine to provide shade and protect him from the scorching heat of the desert sun. However, later, God allowed a worm to destroy the vine, and this angered Jonah. Lets see what God said in response to Jonah's attitude.
10 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”
(Jonah 4:10-11)
Jonah cared more about a plant than the souls of 120,000 people. WOW! He cared more about his own comfort than the destruction of 120,000 people.
People can be very selfish. We are quick to accept God's grace and forgiveness, but slow to forgive others. We put down other sinners and place judgment on them. If anyone hurts us, we refuse to be merciful because they caused us pain. We are kind and loving to those who are kind and loving to us, but hateful and mean to those who hurt others or ourselves.
Sometimes we want God to place judgement on people who hurt us or people we think are just plain bad, but God loves sinners and wants all of them to come to know Him.
I feel so bad for the victims who lost their lives in the Boston Marathon bombing, the Sandy Hook shooting, and the Colorado shooting, but there are 4 other victims in those events that people never think about. One of these men has sadly passed away, but may the three other men learn of God's great love and forgiveness.
God has a heart for sinners, if He didn't, then we would never know of His grace and love. If we truly understand God's heart, we will want what He wants and that is for others to come to know of his love, grace, and forgiveness. If we truly understand God's love, we will stop judging others, and love them. Every politician, homosexual, murderer, abortionist, and terrorist need our prayers and love, not our judgement. Every person who had caused us pain and sorrow needs our forgiveness, not our punishment. Lets be quick to love, and slow to judge.
God has a heart for sinners....
This blog is based off of an amazing sermon I heard from Pastor Andrew Herbert of Taylor Memorial Baptist in Hobbs NM. To hear his sermons about God and his Grace, go to: http://taylormemorial.com/sermons
Very true!
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