Abounding In Love

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 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 to 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. Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” But the LORD replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”  The LORD said, “…Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left…Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (Jonah 3:10–4:4, 10-11, NIV 1984).

My Musings -This is a rebellious and increasingly wicked generation.  What is it that we desire for it?  Compassion and grace or wrath and destruction?  Wrath and destruction (the great tribulation) may be imminent.  Up to this point He has certainly shown that He is “slow to anger and abounding in love.” But what if the world “turned from [its] evil ways” prompting God to “[relent or postpone] sending calamity?”  Would we be happy or angry?  Would we feel like we had a “right to be angry” that the world did not get its comeuppance?  Or should we, with the Lord be “concerned about” this generation?  After all, did He not have compassion on us?

My Advice – Vengeance is the Lord’s and there will be a time when there will “be no more delay.”  In the meantime, we should show our concern by praying for those who are clearly demonstrating by their rejection of the Gospel that they “cannot tell their right hand from their left.“

Author: thebrewisamusing

I was raised in a Christian family and my earliest childhood memories include regular Sunday school and Church attendance as a family. I was taught that our Judeo-Christian values were not just a part of our Sunday routine they should be part of our character and influence all aspects of our lives. I was also taught that as important as these values were they could not save us. We must also be “born again” by accepting Christ. View all posts by thebrewisamusing