What a merciful and gracious God we serve! Listen…
Ex 34.6-7 And the LORD passed by before him (Moses), and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Psa 86.15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Joel 2.13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
But oh, how evil our hearts are apart from Christ. When Jonah received steadfast love from Jehovah, it filled him with thanksgiving (Jonah 2:8).
But when God extended the very same love to the Ninevites, it filled Jonah with anger. Remember dear ones, that we are called to imitators of God, not Jonah.
Ephesians 4.32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Are you and I gracious and forgiving towards one another? Are we merciful? longsuffering? good?
I think we would all agree that if we would all purpose to imitate Our Lord Jesus instead of Jonah by putting on these qualities in our homes, work, school and church, we would sense far more of His holy presence, love and healing. Selah
