"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." Jonah 3:10
Are you someone who wants grace quickly given to you, yet you tend to be slow to extend grace towards others?
I am.
I admit that ashamedly. I want all of my shortcomings overlooked, all of my sharp-toned words forgiven, and all of my failures quickly forgotten.
Unfortunately, when it comes time for me to bestow that same grace to others, my response time is a little bit slower than what it should be. My sin nature takes over and I quickly forget what it feels like to be the one in need of grace.
This unfortunate state of mind is very reminiscent of a character we see in the Old Testament. This gentleman is Jonah.
You're probably familiar with Jonah's story, but let me shed some light into Jonah's heart for you. Jonah was like me. He wanted grace granted to him, but he absolutely did not want any grace shown to those who so desperately need it, the Ninevites.
Jonah had been instructed by God to go to Nineveh and to preach against its wickedness, telling them that their city would be overturned in forty days. Out of disobedience, Jonah went in the opposite direction, boards a ship for the city of Joppa, and ended up finding himself in a horrific storm, and ultimately in the belly of a whale.
However, the whale swallowing Jonah was a very clear offering of God's grace. God very well could have let Jonah get thrown overboard and swallowed by the tumultuous sea that was raging. However, our God is so gracious!
Where some might have seen three days and nights in the belly of a whale as punishment, for Jonah, it was a gift of grace. It was the gift of a second chance. It was the gift of life.
Unfortunately, Jonah forgot all about this beautiful picture of grace whenever he went about the task at hand and actually convinced the Ninevites to repent and turn from their evil ways. You see, Jonah didn't want God to offer the Ninevites the same grace that he was given. In his heart, he truly wanted to see the Ninevites destroyed, just as God had threatened.
"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 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." Jonah 3:2-3
This prophet's heart was so out of sync with God's that he'd rather see his life taken away than to see the Ninevites receive restoration. He had wanted his second chance to live, but he didn't want anyone else to have one. He knew that God was gracious, but he wanted to hoard all of that grace for himself.
Does your heart resemble Jonah's?
Is grace only good when you're on the receiving end?
Let's go a step farther. Do you have a hard time accepting the fact that the same grace that is offered to you by Christ's death on the cross is also offered to a murderer, or a thief, or a sex offender?
Let's all take a moment to do a heart check and determine how our heart might look like Jonah's. Then spend some time confessing that to God and thanking him for the beautiful display of grace through Christ on the cross. Ask God to show you how you can be a more frequent grace-giver and not just a grace-getter.
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