Organizing the Inside – Day 62 Unworthy of Compassion

November 4, 2011 at 9:00 am · Filed under Encouragement, Faith, Inspiration, Love, Purpose and tagged: Anger, Christ, God, Jesus, Jonah, Lord, Nineveh, Tarshish

1But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2He 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.
~ Jonah 4:1, 2

Have you ever felt resentment when you see people prosper in their ungodliness?
Have you ever felt like God was unfair in blessing them when they won’t even serve Him?  Perhaps you know of someone who continues to deny Jesus, yet has been obviously blessed with material things and what appears to be happiness.  Maybe you are a Christian, who is struggling to make ends meet, and you regularly give; yet you know of some who never gives but has so much.

Jonah felt angry because of God’s grace and mercy on the people of Nineveh, because he felt they didn’t deserve it.  Jonah resisted the plan of God for his life because he didn’t want the people of Nineveh to repent and find forgiveness for their sins.  He knew that God would have mercy if they repented.

Was Jonah concerned about the wrong things?
Jonah being concerned about the unrighteous prospering went out of his way to keep them from hearing the truth that would cause them to repent.  If you’re like Jonah, your focus has become misdirected by your resentment. Did you do anything, anything to earn God’s grace?

Don’t fret because of evil doers.
Instead be focused on what God wants to do in your life and allow Him to change your heart.  Don’t let anger or bitterness take root in you, remember the love and compassion that God had on you when you were on your freight train, doing 500 miles per hour headed straight to hell.  Show compassion to someone today, even if your mind is telling you they are unworthy.  Christ died to take away the sins of the world.
Also read Proverbs 24:19

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