HomeWord - July 7, 2006

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?”  Jonah 4:1-4    

As children, my sister and I got along very well.  There were, of course, some things that irked her about her younger sister, me.  For example, I would take a toy she was playing with and when she reported this horrible act to my mother, I would be told to apologize.  However, this was usually followed by my sister being told to share with me, which never quite seemed fair to her.

When God called Jonah, commanding him to go to Nineveh and tell the people to repent from their wicked ways, Jonah fled.  I used to think he ran away as an act of being scared or feeling inadequate of what he was asked to do.  However, Jonah 4:2-3 records that Jonah fled because he knew God was merciful.  That’s right, because God was merciful.

When Jonah finally went to Nineveh, he preached the message God had instructed him to declare:  that God would destroy the city because of its wickedness. In response to the message, the people of Nineveh repented.  The forgiveness and mercy the Lord showed did not seem fair to Jonah. He wanted justice.  Instead, God looked at the city like a mother to a child, and as soon as they repented, He demonstrated His compassion by withholding His judgment.

It is not up to us to decide how God should treat people.  It is not up to us to compare ourselves or to try to prove we are better than another.  Have you found yourself in a situation like Jonah? Have you been angry when someone is shown mercy when he or she deserve punishment?  Or, have you been angered when someone does not follow the Lord’s ways but still is blessed by a promotion or an award?  Are you convinced that bad things happen to good people and good things to bad people?  Have you ever felt that you deserve to be blessed, but that God withholds His blessing toward you? God’s response is simple:  Whom God blesses or to whom He demonstrates His mercy, is not our concern.  He will have mercy on whomever He chooses. Our concern and focus should be on our own relationship with the Lord and our obedience to Him.

To comment on today's devotional, click here .

GOING DEEPER:

1.    What can you do to help yourself stop playing the comparison game between yourself and others?

2.  Why do you think it is easier to accept grace for yourself than for others?

FURTHER READING:

Exodus 33:19; Matthew 5:7; Luke 18:9-14

HomeWord Encouraging Parents…Building Families
Other FREE resources from HomeWord and Jim Burns: -7 Minutes to Being a Better Parent -Download HomeWord's daily broadcast -Get your toughest parenting questions answered HomeWord provides bottom-shelf, real-life, practical resources ranging from 411 (information) and 911 (crisis resources) to help parents.